On April 10, Life Sciences PA awarded Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President & CEO John F. Crowley the Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award. The award is given annually to a Pennsylvania “leader in the life sciences community who best exemplifies the spirit of innovation,” said Christopher Molineaux, President & CEO at Life Sciences PA, in a podcast conversation with Crowley timed with the award. Life Sciences PA represents Pennsylvania’s biotech sector and is a member of the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA). The award’s namesake, Schoemaker, helpe ..read more

A recent human infection of avian flu in Texas, coming just days after the first infections of U.S. livestock, has spurred research into the latest version of the virus as vaccine makers prepare for the unlikely event that it mutates to the point where it can cause a human pandemic. Meanwhile, farmers working to contain the threat to their flocks are now concerned about their herds, and testing continues on vaccine candidates to protect birds. The human infection with avian flu (H5N1) reported in Texas on April 1—the second ever recorded in the U.S.—caused only mild symptoms, and risk for huma ..read more

April began with the 2024 World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C., where Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) leaders and members highlighted developments in life-saving vaccine technology. Billed “the most important vaccine event of the year,” the annual World Vaccine Congress brings together more than 4,000 attendees from science, government, public health, and manufacturers around the world to discuss progress in the vaccine value chain and celebrate innovations that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “have saved more human lives than any other medical invention in ..read more

Students of rural and under-resourced communities in the state of Maine will have a chance to take a closer look at life sciences thanks to a new state-of-the-art mobile science lab created by Educate Maine, a Portland-based, nonprofit education advocacy organization. The mobile BIOLAB came as a result of an increased interest for more STEM experiences, both by educators and students in Maine, and it follows Educate Maine’s mission to provide access to high-quality educational opportunities to every Maine resident. “We were hearing from teachers, particularly those in rural areas, that they wo ..read more

Never before have humans been so readily connected. And while global connectivity is great for staying in touch with friends or family or working from home, it also allows for profound jumps in innovation resulting from data exchange, global collaboration, and much more. Case in point: Accumulus Synergy, “a global, nonprofit organization developing a transformative data exchange platform that aims to enable enhanced collaboration and efficiency between life sciences organizations and global health authorities, while also affording users the ability to extract dynamic, data-driven insights.” Th ..read more

With over 116,000 employees across 7,462 businesses, Texas has become a leader in biotechnology and life sciences, a recent report revealed. “The life science and biotech industry is one of the most significant industries in Texas, creating innovations that improve and often save the lives of Texas patients every day,” said Victoria Ford, President and CEO of the Texas Health & Bioscience Institute (THBI), which produced the report. The report, Building the Innovations of Tomorrow, highlights the Texas biotech industry, in which employment grew by 15% between 2018 and 2021, “outpacing nati ..read more

Biobased products significantly cut down the consumption of fossil fuels and play a pivotal role in the U.S. economy, according to a recent report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Using 2021 data, An Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry: 2023 Update highlights the impact and growth of the American biobased products industry. The report covers seven major segments of the industry: Agriculture and Forestry, Biobased Chemicals, Biobased Plastic Bottles and Packaging, Biorefining, Enzymes, Forest Products, and Textiles. The key finding is that b ..read more

Hemp genetically modified to remove the two better-known cannabinoids joined several other plants in gaining U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory clearance so that it can be grown in the United States. “Badger G” hemp, produced by the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center, uses a “genetic knockout” to prevent the plant from containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. According to the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center, 25% of the hemp grown in the United States is discarded because its THC level is above the 0.3% threshold for federal regulation as mar ..read more

Sharon King’s daughter Taylor was a happy surprise. And up until Taylor was in the first grade, she was developing normally. But the first signs of trouble began after Taylor failed a standardized reading test. “She just bottomed out on her reading scores,” King recalls, “which was odd, because she had been reading before she was in kindergarten. It was a real head-scratcher.” Taylor was later retested, and her scores improved, alleviating some of the concern for her family for the time being. Early in second grade, there were signs of problems with Taylor’s vision. “First, she was having trou ..read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing drug discovery, paving the way for groundbreaking treatments. In fact, a recent study found that biotech companies using AI have developed over 150 small molecule drugs in development, and there are two dozen or more AI-designed drugs in or entering clinical trials.  But as more of these treatments advance to later-stage trials, there’s growing interest in better understanding the process. What led AI to select that particular target? How exactly did generative AI design a new molecule—and how can we be sure that it will be effective? A tech ..read more