Maintaining biotechnology superiority is essential to the U.S. economy and national security, and it must be supported with strategic federal funding that leans into America’s strengths by encouraging private investment, according to a three-year-long Congressional study.
“From more productive seeds and targeted cancer therapies to the possibility of genetically enhanced soldiers, biotechnology’s reach extends far beyond the laboratory,” says the report from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), released April 8. “Falling further behind would signal a global power shift toward China and create an array of new strategic challenges for the U.S. government.”
Established with bipartisan support as part of the 2022 defense budget, the NSCEB was tasked by Congress with conducting “a comprehensive review of emerging biotechnology’s impact on national security and provide practical recommendations to preserve American dominance in this field.”
The Commission includes two senators and two House members from each party, and leaders from industry, academia, and the government.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) underlined the importance of the report.
“The NSCEB final report makes clear that without immediate and bold action, the U.S. will cede its dominance in biotech to China in the next few years. This cannot happen,” said BIO President and CEO John F. Crowley. “The report provides us with a roadmap to unlock private investment in biotechnology and protect the health and security of the American people for generations to come.”
At the AI+ Biotechnology Summit, an April 10 event in Washington that put a focus on the NSCEB report, Crowley discussed the importance of the report, and biotechnolgy, for everyone.
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