Biotech Updates

Forty-one (41) researchers from 17 countries have come together to offer a compromise on a controversial topic under the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity in a new paper in Nature Communications. The scientists published their thoughts on the ongoing UN policy discussions about sharing of digital sequence of information to support conservation efforts.

Health Canada Approves COVIFENZ®, Medicago's Plant-based COVID-19 Vaccine

Quebec City-based biopharmaceutical company Medicago and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have announced that Health Canada has granted approval for the plant-based virus-like particles (VLP), recombinant, adjuvanted COVIFENZ® COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada based its decision on scientific data shared by Medicago.

Ukraine Crisis Underscores Need for Long-term Solutions for Global Food Security

Ukraine is the world's breadbasket, ranked in 2022 as the fifth largest wheat exporter globally, exporting $3.59 billion of wheat. With the conflict that is going on in Ukraine and the resulting longer-term disruptions of the country's rural economy, there is potential for another round of turmoil linked to prices of staple cereals.

Chinese Experts Develop Fragrant Sorghum Using CRISPR

Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the successful development of fragrant cultivated sorghum using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. Their findings are published as a breakthrough report in the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology.