Wednesdays at “The WELL” and Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Biotech

In these unpredictable times, Wiley wants to make the WELL a predictable resource for our dedicated readers. Going forward, The WELL will come to you on Wednesdays with commentary and insights on trending and emerging issues in environmental and administrative law.

You’ll also see the reach and format of The WELL expand this fall beyond our traditional federal chemicals policy focus. For example, I recently participated in SynBio: Fact or Fiction, a panel discussion at #bioimpact20 today with some of the top industry leaders in the biomanufacturing space  - Kathryn Sheridan at Sustainability Consult, Zach Serber of Zymergen, Matt Lipscomb of DMC Biotechnologies, and Jim Lalonde at Inscripta. Our session hit on many key issues and solutions to moving biomanufacturing forward - from the need for performance based, #sustainability solutions from biotech that are unique and unmatched, to the role of regulation and policy in helping to offer consumers superior, novel products that can get to market quickly.  Synbio is not just hype, it is offering real measurable progress and potential.  

Little did we realize just how timely our panel discussion turned out to be. Today, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to American biologist Jennifer Doudna and French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier for developing CRISPR/Cas9 which --- in layman’s terms – is a targeted genetic snipping tool that is already accelerating progress in areas from cancer therapies and inheritable diseases to crops and fuels. Congratulations to both of these pioneering researchers.

In the coming weeks, we’ll also be addressing the 2020 election outcome implications for environmental regulation, Inside the Beltway strategies for bringing plastic waste under control post-Basel, and SCOTUS and climate change. Stay tuned for how environmental law in the U.S. Our plans include bringing you short interviews with influencers in the  field. 

We want to take this opportunity to thank you, our readers, for following us in this journey. We hope you’ll stay with us as The WELL evolves. Write to us (ebaptist@wiley.law and mmarrapese@wiley.law) if you want to suggest areas we should cover in The WELL, or if you want to write a guest blog for The WELL. 

Finally, if you like what you read, help us grow our base.  Pass along news from The WELL to those you connect with. 

Stay safe and #WELL.