Following on the heels of today’s Now Serving 9 Billion panel discussion, we present to you some other interesting biotech stories in the news:

MARRYING BIOTECH CROPS WITH THE ORGANIC MOVEMENT – Forbes examines the intersection of agricultural biotech research and the organic movement, profiling the odd-couple authors of the 2009 breakout book Tomorrow’s Table. From the article:

…“They are leading a chorus of young scientists and forward thinkers who see genetic modification not as a threat to sustainable farming but as a new way to make it better. They are not fans of corporate agriculture but think genetically modified organisms represent a missed opportunity to make things better.”

The article continues by examining figures on food availability, agricultural sustainability, and a number of other factors that should give hunger activists pause for thought. At one point in the piece, Dr. Ronald points out one of the most glaring obstacles to feeding our world:

…“A genetically engineered rice that contains vitamin A was created by academic researchers and the seed company Syngenta. It could save the lives of 40,000 children a year–more, if people don’t reject it just because it’s genetically modified. ‘Greenpeace is against that,’ she says. Why? ‘People just really cannot imagine their child dying from any kind of vitamin deficiency.’”

GREENING PAPER PRODUCTION THROUGH BIOTECH – Spanish biotech researchers have released a paper outlining how a simple enzyme could remove 20-25% of chlorine from paper production through its unique interaction with xylan. While this enzyme’s minimal environmental impact could be game-changing for the industrial biotechnology sector, the technology involved in this research could lead to many more biotech applications:

“Modern enzyme technology is largely geared towards use in biorefineries, with the aim of creating an integrated process enabling plant waste and other biomass components to be reused in new applications. This technology can also be used to obtain new added-value products from xylan, ranging from prebiotic ingredients for functional foods to bioethanol, which can be obtained by depolymerization of the xylan.”

PROMISING RESULTS FROM OPKO’S ALZHEIMER’S BLOOD TEST – Miami-based Opko is excited by initial results from its experimental Alzheimer’s blood test. Although the company has yet to even discuss clinical trials with the FDA, its experimental blood test detected antibodies uniquely linked to the presence of Alzheimer’s with 95% accuracy. Opko’s Chairman and CEO Dr. Phillip Frost said in a news release:

…”There are new drugs coming along that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, so if you could make the diagnosis early, it would be a great advantage … A lot of people suffer from forgetfulness as a normal part of aging and you’d like to separate them from people who have Alzheimer’s.”