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Here’s your long-weekend reading—including how genetic engineering can ensure the longevity of the Thanksgiving feast, and enough food to feed 10 billion by 2050. (525 words, 2 minutes, 37 seconds)
Happy Thanksgiving! Good Day BIO will take a break until Monday, November 27. In the meantime, keep an eye on Bio.News for breaking news and weekend reads. |
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We’re thankful for genetic engineering |
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When we sit down to our Thanksgiving meal, we’ll be thinking about how genetic engineering tools like gene editing can ensure a bountiful feast—and long-term food security for the world.
What is gene editing? With tools like CRISPR, researchers can make small, precise edits to the genome—breeding plants or animals that could be developed faster and more efficiently than with conventional breeding techniques.
This includes all your Thanksgiving favorites, like…
Turkeys (and other tasty birds): Turkeys, chickens, ducks, and wild species have been hit hard in recent years by bird flu, which is also threatening mammals and potentially humans. With gene editing, we can produce birds resistant to avian flu, avoiding culling and further spreading the disease.
Corn: One of the first commercially available genetically modified crops, corn advances include shorter stalks better able to withstand winds, as well as corn resistant to drought, heat, and pests.
Potatoes: A researcher in the Netherlands recently announced progress using CRISPR to develop a potato resistant to the devastating potato blight.
Sweet potatoes, too: Researchers in Ghana and the Philippines are using gene editing to develop sweet potatoes with higher yields, increased vitamin A, and disease resistance.
Don’t forget the dinner rolls: Our future bread can be protected from climate change as scientists advance drought-resistant wheat.
The big picture: Thanksgiving is one thing—but how do we feed 10 billion people by 2050? The answer is advancing technology—like gene editing—to ensure enough nutritious food for all. After the holiday, BIO will head to COP28 in Dubai to ensure biotech solutions for food security and climate change have a seat at the table. |
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A few more things to read… |
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Before you log off for the long holiday weekend, here are a few more things we’re reading. U.K. approves first CRISPR gene-editing treatment: The U.K. is the first country to approve Casgevy, the treatment for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia developed by BIO members Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics. Ahead of the FDA’s expected decision on December 8, CRISPR’s founders Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier reflect on the achievement in STAT News.
One company is fundamentally changing organ transplantation: Every 10 minutes, a new person is added to the organ waiting list—a list that X-Therma’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Xiaoxi Wei, hopes to eliminate. Bio.News spoke to her about how her company is “stopping the clock” and potentially extending organ storage time.
The biotech market, from AI to Z: It’s not too early to start making plans for the BIO CEO & Investor Conference in February—catch up on our BIO Investor Forum coverage, including a look at the latest developments in artificial intelligence and RNA, as well as the impact of drug price controls on investment.
BIO awards food and agriculture innovators: ICYMI, BIO awarded Dr. Pam Marrone the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture, and Hank Harris, DVM, Ph.D., the George Washington Carver Award for Leadership in Agriculture and Environmental Biotechnology. Bio.News has more about them and their achievements, and watch their interviews below. |
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President Biden’s Wednesday: Visiting David Rubenstein's home in Nantucket for Thanksgiving with family.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) announced she will not seek reelection in 2024. |
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