Daily Archives: February 9, 2022

Denver has some enthralling events lined up this week. Kick it off by getting sciency at an SCFD Free Day and end it by diving into light art a Lumonics Guided Tour. Wherever the week leads you, make sure to take a look at this roundup of events happening in Denver.

Photo Courtesy of Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Facebook

When:February 7, 9 a.m. 5 p.m.

Where:Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver

Cost:Free, get tickets here

The Lowdown:The Denver Museum of Nature and Science hosts an SCFD Free Day. You can have the chance to explore GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked the World, Discovery Zone and more throughout the day without paying museum admission.

Photo Courtesy of Stranahans Colorado Whiskey on Facebook

When: February 7

Where: Online

Cost: Varying prices, order here

The Lowdown: Stranahans Whiskey presents a Vault Auction. The auction raises funds for Colorado Marshall fires with rare bottles variants such as Snowflakes, Mountain Angel 10-year old bottles and more. The auction ends at midnight on Monday.

Photo by Kori Hazel.

When:February 8, 12:30 p.m.

Where:Tattered Cover Colfax, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver

Cost:Free admission

The Lowdown: Tattered Cover teams up with Active Minds for Active Minds: Genetic Engineering. You can learn more about genetic engineering, how it is used in current technology and the potential risks and benefits that may come from it.

Photo Courtesy of Stem Ciders RiNo Taproom on Facebook

When: February 8, 3 9 p.m.

Where: Stem Ciders RiNo Taproom, 2811 Walnut St. #150, Denver

Cost: $30 $32, get tickets here

The Lowdown: Sip on a flight of four brightly flavored ciders complemented with four savory cheesy delights during Ciders & Sides. Stem Ciders teams up Truffle Cheese Shop for the delectable pairing in the taproom for a relaxed afternoon.

Photo Courtesy of Eventbrite

When: February 8, 6 p.m.

Where: Online

Cost: Free, register here

The Lowdown: Colorado Public Radio continues its Turn The Page With Colorado Matters series with a look at the new novel All That Is Secret. The novel, written by Colorado author Patricia Raybon, dives into Denver as it is ruled by the Ku Klux Klan.

Photo Courtesy of Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Facebook

When:February 9, 7 8 p.m.

Where:Online

Cost:Free, registerhere

The Lowdown: Denver Museum of Nature & Science partners International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management and the Denver American Indian Commission to hosts Indigenous Film:Hawaiian Steel Guitar: An Evening with Alan Akaka.The short film dives deeper into the life of Joseph Kekuku and the creation of the Hawaiin Steel Guitar.

Stencil by unknown artist on Mutiny Information Cafe

When:February 9, 7:30 9:30 p.m.

Where:Mutiny Information Cafe, 2 S. Broadway, Denver

Cost:$5 donation at entry

The Lowdown:Mutiny Information Cafe combines poetry and punk together for the perfect combination during Punketry. You can listen to performances of spoken word from poets such as Kenny White, Ira Liss and Maggie Saunders throughout the evening.

Photo Courtesy of Copper Kettle Brewing Company on Facebook

When: February 9, 2 9 p.m.

Where: Copper Kettle Brewing Company, 1338 S. Valentia St. Ste 100, Denver

Cost: Free admission

The Lowdown: Imbibe in a creamy brew during a Cafe Con Leche Stout Firkin Release.Copper Kettle Brewing Company presents the milk stout that is brewed with local coffee. You can also grab bites from the food truck Grill Rescue.

Photo Courtesy of Great Divide Brewing Co. on Facebook

When: February 10, 4:30 7 p.m.

Where: Great Divide Brewing Event Space, 3403 Brighton Blvd., Denver

Cost: $20 $25, get tickets here

The Lowdown: Get stocked up for your sweetheart (or yourself) at a Valentines Market. Great Divide Brewing presents a market filled with local vendors offering gifts, just in time for the day of love.

Photo Courtesy of 54thirty on Facebook

When:February 10, 6 9 p.m.

Where:54thirty, 1475 California St., Denver

Cost:Free admission

The Lowdown:Jam it out throughout the evening with beats from DJ Manos during Elevated Beats. 54thirty hosts the rocking event for you to take in the Denver skyline on the rooftop for a chill winter night.

Vestige 74 by Angela Faris Belt. Courtesy of Michael Warren Contemporary on Facebook

When: February 10, 5 8 p.m.

Where: Michael Warren Contemporary, 760 Santa Fe Dr., Denver

Cost: Free admission

The Lowdown: Michael Warren Contemporary presents an opening reception for artist Angela Faris Belt. The exhibition features photographs taken by Faris Belt of Bristlecone Pine trees throughout the gallery.

Photo Courtesy of Side Stories on Facebook

When:February 11 20

Where:Exterior walls from 28th St. to Walnut St. and 33rd St. to Larimer St., Denver

Cost:Free admission

The Lowdown:Experience the artistry of Side Stories on the walls of RiNo. Five Colorado artists works are projected on blank walls showing stories about the surrounding neighborhoods. Each digital work spans only a few minutes long and will stay up until February 20.

Photo Courtesy of Hops & Pie on Facebook

When: February 11, 11:30 a.m.

Where: Hops & Pie, 3920 Tennyson St., Denver

Cost: Free admission

The Lowdown: Hops & Pie hosts a Casey Brewing and Blending Tap Takeover. You can delight in pours such as Helles, a Talus IPA, an Apricot Fruit Stand and Leaner throughout the day.

Photo Courtesy of Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek on Facebook

When: February 11, 3 6 p.m.

Where:Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek, 245 Columbine St., Denver

Cost:Free admission

The Lowdown:Embrace a winter evening to rock out to some sweet tunes at Music in the Clouds. Halcyon hosts the musical event with a performance from local artist Jonah Wisneski on the rooftop of the hotel with a view of the city.

Photo Courtesy of Copper Kettle Brewing Company on Facebook

When: February 11, 12 10 p.m.

Where:Copper Kettle Brewing Company, 1338 S. Valentia St., Suite 100, Denver

Cost:Free admission

The Lowdown:Copper Kettle Brewing Company releases its Snowed In Cherry 2022 brew this Friday. The oatmeal stout is made with tart cherries and aged in bourbon barrels to honor Valentines Day. You can imbibe in the chocolate cherry stout on tap or take one home in a 19-ounce can.

Photo Courtesy of Cupids Undie Run on Facebook

When: February 12, 12 4 p.m.

Where: Stoneys Bar and Grill, 1111 Lincoln St., Denver

Cost:$50, register here

The Lowdown:Get a sweat on with the annual Cupids Undie Run. You can slip on your sneakers for a mile-ish run around Denver in support of finding a cure for neurofibromatosis (NF). Make sure to don on a pair of cute undies or a costume to run in and raise some funds for research.

Photo Courtesy of Fiction Beer Company on Facebook

When: February 12 13

Where: Fiction Beer Company, 7101 E. Colfax Ave., Denver

Cost: $5 $10 at entry

The Lowdown: Fiction Beer Company teams up with baker Elise from Lucky Break Bakeshop for an Almost Valentines Day Stout & Cake Pop Pairing. You can satisfy your cravings with a pairing of a Stout aged on cherry and chocolate with a cherry-flavored vanilla cake coated in dark chocolate for an extra sweet day.

Photo Courtesy of Denver Beer Co on Facebook

When:February 12, 11 a.m. 11 p.m.

Where:All Denver Beer Co Locations

Cost:$25, get tickets here

The Lowdown:Denver Beer Co. hosts a Valentines Day Beer and Chocolate Pairing. You can delight in five handcrafted chocolates complemented with five Denver Beer Co. brews for a tasty afternoon.

Photo Courtesy of Colorado Tour Co. on Facebook

When:February 12, 3 4 p.m.

Where:Colorado State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave., Denver

Cost:$15 $25, register here

The Lowdown:Colorado Tour Co. hosts a Denver Capitol Hill History Walking Tour. You can learn more about Denvers fascinating history, see some of the citys oldest buildings, learn more about landmarks and more through the tour.

When: February 12, 4 11:59 p.m.

Where:The Pig & The Sprout, 1900 Chestnut Pl., Denver

Cost:$20 $25, get ticketshere

The Lowdown:Put on your best onesie for the 5th Annual Onesie Bar Crawl. The event features a bar crawl with drink specials at each of the eight participating locations such as The Pig & The Sprout, Wynkoop Brewing Company and Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery. You can imbibe on drinks, win prizes and more.

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25 Things To Do in and Around Denver This Week - 303 Magazine

Bill WhitfordLife Sciences Strategic Solutions Leader, DPS Group

There is no longer any doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing biological discovery and biomanufacturing operations. In biological discovery, AI systems such as AlphaFold and the Atomic Rotationally Equivariant Scorer are celebrated for their uncanny ability to predict tertiary structures for proteins and RNA molecules. In biomanufacturing, AI systems usually enjoy less fanfare. Yet they can provide valuable functions such as pattern recognition, real-time assessment of batch quality, multivariable control for continuous manufacturing, prediction/optimization of critical process parameters, and anomaly detection. Such functions are critical to the success of gene and cell therapy operations.

AI-driven deep learning algorithms are being applied to monitoring and inspection activities that used to be too nuanced for true automation. Machine learning applications can update biomanufacturing processes by drawing on diverse data sources, and multiple AI models can actively interact with equipment or processes to realize the digital twin approach, that is, the digital emulation of physical systems. These systems provide a starting point for a true adaptive strategy.

Systems supported by AI can mimic human cognitive functions, use data from many sources (including historical and remote sources), learn from data of various types (including unstructured and multidimensional data), and accommodate new information (including empirical data) as it becomes available. Efficiency in data handling is increased by observability analyzers that distinguish between data that is valuable and data that is redundant, irrelevant, or corrupt. AI can support in silico modeling (including digital twins) and will soon be applied to varied tasks (Table 1), enabling full automation of adaptive modelbased experimental design in product and process development, as well as closed-loop control of robotic activities in biomanufacturing.

We are already familiar with self-contained devices that perform dedicated tasks with living cells. For example, weve grown to trust microbioreactors that mimic the characteristics of large bioreactors and enable cost-effective experimentation. They are supporting savings in facility space, capital, labor, media, and consumables. Now we are becoming familiar with integrated systems.

Besides replicating human activity, fully automated and integrated systems will deploy machine learningequipped robots that can iterate processes endlessly without fatigue or distraction. Many of these technologies are being applied in the pharmaceutical industry.

Gene and cell therapies reflect a range of technical approaches and production practices. For example, there are in vivo and ex vivo approaches, as well as autologous and allogeneic approaches. Nonetheless, there are commonalities that can be exploited in biomanufacturing operations. Shared opportunities include access to many of the same vectors (including viral vectors). Shared challenges include the inability to terminally sterilize products.

AI-enabled smart manufacturing is now beginning to support gene and cell therapy processing with an advanced digitalized integration of the manufacturing processfrom supply chain management to operations control to final product track and trace. It is also empowering Industry 4.0 technologies such as the internet of things; real-time, integrated big data analytics; automated and cyber-physical systems; and advanced sensing technologies (including soft sensing technologies). Finally, it is supporting the widespread application of digital twins in modeling both equipment and operations.

AI can enhance systems that are common to many gene and cell therapies and that have previously presented challenges in traditional process design and manufacturing operations (Table 1). These challenges include the coordination of track-and-trace operations in patient-distal cell processing, as well as the decontamination of incoming process materials. Yet other challenges are encountered in establishing and maintaining standards for patient-related data with respect to security, privacy, curation, storage, and distribution.

Sensitive personal information such as economic status, location, habits, gender, or race can be deduced from the bio-psycho-social context used while reviewing systems to determine the best conditions for a therapys preparation. When the therapy is a gene or cell therapy, the requirements for tools that would ensure patient privacy and data security are especially (even uniquely) stringent. We are seeing the need for concurrent implementation of AI and machine learningcentric data governance, risk, and compliance protocols, as well as for the expertise and guidance of experienced, security-focused AI experts.

With gene and cell therapies, products and practices are so new, critical process parameters are often poorly understood. Consequently, production processes can evolve even after technology transfer.

Typically, gene and cell therapies must work after just one attempt, that is, after one course of treatment. To ensure that the first attempt is as effective as it can possibly be, producers are under pressure to discover process deviationsor better yet, prevent them.

Individual patients cell samples are diverse with respect to their condition, viability, and drug exposure. This can greatly influence a samples characteristics and performance, requiring greater process monitoring and advanced dynamic control. The expected efficacy, quality, and safety of the theraputic under the gene and cell therapy framework is even harder to achieve, batch after batch, than with small- or large-molecule entities.

Furthermore, similar manufacturing processes applied by operators and biopharma engineers present critical differences depending on the specific vector operation to be applied in each batch or patient. Continued supervision is required to double-check the specificity of the particularities associated with such manufacturing. Therefore, each patient must be linked to a single batch which is manufactured and controlled by means of both singularities (specific targets) and commonalities (universal specifications).

AI-empowered process control can aid in sensing or predicting processing anomalies, correlating current performance to past experiences, and determining what measures might remediate deviating parameters. Orchestration of distributed control with centralized processing of an individuals cells or tissues will impose added processing and logistical burdens. Modern data connectivity and AI algorithms have a unique capability to maintain a real-time and dynamic picture of bio-based events. Because they can model nonlinear functional relationships, they excel at reducing model-process mismatches. Such systems can perform sensor validation, detect faults, and incorporate expertise and results from both bioprocess and control engineering.

The potential of AI in realizing gene and cell therapies is remarkable, and expectations for imminent improvements in biomanufacturing operations are high. The modernization of existing gene and cell therapy equipment and investment in digitalization are the initial steps that our industry must take if it is to followlike other industries have already followedthe path to smart control of manufacturing.

Bill Whitford (william.whitford@dpsgroupglobal.com) is the Life Sciences Strategic Solutions Leader at DPS Group, and Toni Manzano, PhD (toni.manzano@aizon.ai), is a co-founder and the CSO of Aizon.

Read more here:
The Promise of AI in Gene and Cell Therapy Operations - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Posted on 02/07/2022

The World Economic Forum (WEF), in partnership with Marsh McLennan, SK Group, and Zurich Insurance Group, released its report titled, The Global Risks Report 2022 17th Edition

The executive summary reads, The Global Risks Report 2022 presents the results of the latest Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS), followed by an analysis of key risks emanating from current economic, societal, environmental and technological tensions.

The question How do you feel about the outlook for the world? 23% were worried, 61.2% concerned, 12.1% positive, and 3.7% were optimistic.

The next question Identify the most severe risks on a global scale over the next 10 years.

Most severe to the least.1. Climate action failure2. Extreme weather3. Biodiversity loss4. Social cohesion erosion5. Livelihood crises6. Infectious diseases7. Human environmental damage8. Natural resource crises9. Debt crises10. Geoeconomic confrontation

World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) 2021-2022Dataset: A total of 1,183 responses to the GRPS were received. From these, 959 were kept, using as a threshold at least one non-demographic answer.

Respondents44% Europe15% North America13% East Asia and the Pacific10% Latin America and the Caribbean6% South Asia6% Sub-Saharan Africa

41% Business59% Non-Business

64% Male34% Female

Org Type41% Business17% Academia16% Government10% NGO

LINK: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2022.pdf

In the 2021 WEF Risk Report, there is an area on FORESIGHT ON FRONTIER RISKS. The 2021 part was written in collaboration with In collaboration with the Global Future Council on Frontier Risks.

Accidental warAn inter-state skirmish escalates to war as governments fail to control action in the absence of accurate information. Weakened multilateralism leads to failure to contain.

Anarchic uprisingYoung activists, fed up with corruption, inequality and suffering, mobilize against elites. AI-powered social media is exploited to spread disinformation, fomenting social chaos

Brain-machine interface exploitedCompanies, governments or individuals utilize burgeoning mind-reading technology to extract data from individuals for commercial or repressive purposes.

Collapse of an established democracyA democracy turns authoritarian through the progressive hollowing out of the body of law. A legal rather than a violent coup erodes the system, with knock-on effects on other democratic systems.

Geomagnetic disruptionA rapid reversal of the Earths geomagnetic poles generates destabilizing consequences for the biosphere and human activity.

Gene editing for human enhancementGovernments begin classified genetic engineering programmes. A class of people is born with genetic capabilities better suited for space, Arctic, or deep-sea survival, setting off a genetic arms race between geopolitical rivals with undetermined ethical consequences.

Neurochemical controlMalicious use of pharmaceutical neurochemicals aims to control adversaries. Governments begin to use these drugs for non-lethal law enforcement.

Permafrost melt releases ancient microorganismsA warming planet leads to permafrost melt in the Arctic. An ancient virus, unknown in modern science, is released into the air, soil, and water systems.

Deployment of small-scale nuclear weaponsNew technology allows for proliferation of low-yield warheads, blurring deterrence frameworks and leading to global nuclear war.

The views in this 2011 section represent those of the Global Future Council on Frontier Risks and not of the World Economic Forum or its partners.

Go here to read the rest:
3.7% of WEF Risk Survey Respondents are Optimistic About the Outlook for the World - Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute

As we enter 2022 with a bang, we created a list of Switzerlands most exciting startups that you definitely need to keep an eye on in 2022! We know that Switzerland is world-renowned for its chocolates, having the highest train station in the world, its banking fame, and so on, but its also home to a growing startup ecosystem.

After intense research and some back and forth with the team we can happily present you with what we think are the startups you need to keep a lookout for this year. All of the startups which we are introducing to you below were founded between 2019 and 2021. As signals for early success, weve been looking at factors like team size, funding, growth rate, innovation, market size. With this in mind, here are 10 Swiss early-stage startups to follow in 2021 and beyond.

Genius yield is a Cham-based startup that was founded in 2021. The goal of this startup is to maximize its users crypto yield from Cardano (ADA). Genius Yield is your all-in-one solution to benefit from advanced algorithmic trading strategies and yield optimization opportunities. Their smart liquidity management protocol is intuitive, hassle-free, and secure. Genius Yield minimizes risk and maximizes profits! So far they have raised 3.6 million.

Luya Foods is on a mission to go beyond the hype that surrounds fake meat and create an innovative plant-based alternative that is tasty, juicy, and natural. What more could we ask for? You may be asking yourself, why? Because according to Luya foods, they are convinced that in order to save the planet, we need to rethink the way we eat and use our resources today. Their natural products are made in Switzerland from reduced okara. Thus no food waste, additives, and artificial aromas. Lula foods is a Zollikofen based startup that was founded in 2021 and so far has raised 142k in its efforts to develop the tastiest alternative to meats.

RocketVax is a Basel-based biotech startup that was established in 2020. At RocketVax, they use a proprietary based method to develop new groundbreaking vaccines. Their first product was the RVX-13, an alive, single-cycle vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, which is based on breakthrough genetic engineering. Basically, this startup is involved with making very complex vaccines that are saving lives and because of this, they have raised a total of 8.7 million.

Dropz is for those who dont like the bland taste of water, simply drop in a tablet and watch the true taste and vitamins unfold beyond your eyes. A tablet that strives to eliminate single-use plastic (PET bottles) and comes with no sugar or calories, what more can we ask for? They create the flavours from the finest fruits and herbs. Through careful extraction, they obtain natural flavours, which they process into the practical Dropz. Dropz is an Eggenwil-based startup founded in 2020 and has raised 2.3 million.

Emovo Care is your go-to startup whether you have partially or completely lost the ability to move one hand due to neurological or orthopaedic injury. Emvo is a portable and lightweight tendon hand that allows you to grab and release simple objects at home. With just a simple push of a button, you can control the desired range of motion. The device has detachable components that make it easy to use and maintain. Emvo care is a Lausanne-based startup that was founded in 2020 and was developed during a Ph.D. at Ecole Polytechnique, it has since raised a modest 94k.

Autonomyo is developing the next generation of exoskeletons that enable people with mobility problems to walk again and win back their freedom of movement. They are a Lausanne-based startup founded in 2020 that too came out from Ecole Polytechnique and has raised 105k to develop cutting-edge personalized exoskeletons. Intelligent, human-centred technology is what autonomy stands for. Their mission is to develop a solution that makes a better future for movement-impaired people.

Pabio gives you the option to either rent or buy their furniture. Why pay full price for something that youre not even sure youll like? Thats why you have the option to rent it and if youre happy with the furniture then Pabio lets you buy it. Thanks to their flexibility you can design your dream house without the huge initial upfront investment and to top it off? You get your own designer to help you out! Once youve selected what you want, it only takes 3 weeks for it to get to you and Pabio assembles it for you. Just sit back and relax. Pabio is a Bern-based startup that was founded in 2020 and has raised 2.7 million.

Klapty is for when the pandemic does not allow for physical tours, thats right, Klapty lets you create, share, and discover virtual tours. Its the first social network for virtual tours, and its trusted by over 50 thousand users worldwide. If youre a real estate agent, droneist, photographer, or hotel owner, you will love Klapty since its easy, and doesnt require any technical skills. They are a Bulle-Based startup that was founded in 2020 and has raised 1 million.

Integritee is a Zurich-based startup that was founded in 2021 and has raised a total of 5.6 million in order to bring you the most scalable public blockchain solution for securely processing sensitive business or personal data. You can harness the speed and confidentiality of trusted execution environments, combined with the trust of a decentralized network. They provide a highly secure and scalable system through which companies and developers can build broader, fairer, and more secure data-driven products and services. All without compromising on privacy.

Liquity is for our crypto friends out there who just cant put together enough funds to buy the dip (after already buying the dip). But before you click over to Liquidity and get access to interest-free liquidity at your fingertips, we should add that this article is in no way financial advice, so check it out at your own risk! You can borrow LUSD against ETH at 0% interest. The only caveat? youre going to get charged a small, one-time fee to borrow LUSD. The Baar-based startup has raised a total of 7.3 million so far.

By the way: If youre a corporate or investor looking for exciting startups in a specific market for a potential investment or acquisition, check out ourStartup Sourcing Service!

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10 super promising Swiss startups to watch in 2022 and beyond - EU-Startups

The origin of the virus, and its jump from animals to humans is a question worth investigating. Credit: Infinity Wave

Some scientists, conspiracy theory experts andmedia outlets have reacted to USRTKs sudden interest in virology by highlighting the groups ties to anti-vaccine activists. This is a clever attempt to discredit USRTK and its allies, but its ultimately a mistake that ignores what anti-GMO activists are up to with their lab-leak advocacy.

Groups like USRTK have always couched their anti-technology agenda in termspursuing truth and transparency in public healththat resonate with most Americans. They are doing this again by using the pandemic to attackallbiotechnology. Tying these activist outfits to anti-vaxxers will not prevent them from gaining support among a certain segment of the general public for that agenda, which should concern everybody in the science community.

Nobody knows if SARS-CoV-2 naturally jumped from animals to humans or somehow escaped from a lab, and we may never know for sure. But a lab leak is a plausible scenario that has been investigated byreputable voicesin scientific and geopolitical circles. Respected science writer Matt Ridley and Broad Institute molecular biologist AlinaChan may be a lot of things, but theyre not kooky conspiracy theorists andtheir argumentsneed to be taken seriously.

The real problem is that many activist groups have backed the lab-leak scenario because it comports with their more comprehensive and decidedly unscientific anti-biotech agenda. This is what the media has missed in its coverage of anti-GMO groups endorsing a lab leak. Its a controversial idea to start with,The Daily Beast reportedrecently, and US Right to Know promotes it because they have graduated from agitating against biotech cropsto providing a sheen of legitimacy for the conspiratorial musings of their primary donor, the Organic Consumers Association.Daily Beast:

Like USRTK, the 23-year-old Organic Consumers Association began as a group preoccupied with pesticides and genetically modified organisms. But as it gained financial backing from ultra-rich backers in the wellness sector it adopted their conspiratorial anti-vaccine views

Earlier this year, OCA founder Ronnie Cummins, who has also advanced 9/11 truther narratives, co-authored a book with [Joe] Mercola which purported to expose The Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal. The books footnotes included multiple citations of USRTK research on COVID-19s origins and, in promoting the book last month, Cummins referred to USRTK as a longtime ally.

The conspiratorial leanings of the anti-biotech movement have been knownfor many years;highlighting them now serves little purpose. Our real concern should be that USRTK and others are using the lab-leak theory to spur opposition to a wide swath of important, even life-saving, biotechnologies.

Consider the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), yetanother activist groupfunded by Joe Mercola and closely linked to the Non-GMO Project. Whatever IRT believes about the pandemic, notice that their fundraising letters are clearly designed to alarm people about issues that have little to do the pandemic. The lab-leak theory is a useful rhetorical tool, tagged on almost asan afterthought:

IRT is on a mission to get the word out against the REPLACEMENT OF NATURE [emphasis in original]. Can you help us make a difference? Consider just a few applications of this new gene editing technology known as GMOs 2.0 Do any of these new technologies make you a bit nervous? Will you join us in preventing a gene edited futureand raising awareness about gain-function- research?[my emphasis]

Engineering disease-fighting insects or breeding crops suited for different environments has next-to-nothing in common with gain-of-function research,whichaims or is expected to (and/or, perhaps, actually does) increase the transmissibility and/or virulence of pathogens. While thatcould be consideredgenetic modification, it serves a very different purpose and carries risks that are unrelated to other biotech applications. Such nuances are irrelevant to IRT and its allies, though, because their ultimate goal is to prevent a gene-edited futurefull stop.

Why does this matter? There are millions ofjaded Americanssuffering from pandemic fatigue. Fed up with lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mandatory vaccines, theyre again inclined to take the anti-GMO movement seriously. Indeed, the fact that mainstream science so dislikes USRTKmight even help the groups causewith people who are enraged by the pandemic response. The science community should therefore combat the misconception that a lab-leak theory undermines the safety of biotechnology more generally.

This cohort ofactivistgroups isadept at co-opting the publics concerns. When journalist Matt Taibi suggested in April that Googlehad censored USRTK, group co-founder Gary Ruskintold him that

I really strongly believe in the First Amendment and have been concerned for probably during that entire period about when the censors come for someone, they could easily come for you tomorrow.

Taibbi was apparently unaware that USRTK exists toharass and intimidatescientists into silence. Its frankly disturbing how far Ruskins group has gonein its effortsto shut up academics who speak publicly about biotechnology: publishing their emails, writing hit pieces about them and evenleaking documentsto propaganda outlets like Russia Today (RT), which will promote the same anti-GMO agenda.

In other words, USRTK and its allies arent on the warpath against censorship, nor are they campaigning for safer virology research in any meaningful sense. But they will use those issues to garner public sympathy. Pointing out their ties to anti-vaccine activists is amusing but mostly useless as a means of expanding the publics acceptance of biotechnology.

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Viewpoint: Anti-GMO groups 'using the COVID lab-leak theory to spur opposition to a wide swath of important, even life-saving, biotechnologies' -...