Industry News

Fall enrollment numbers showed nearly 60% of Iowa State students are majoring in a STEM field and enrollment of new first-year students rose by 6% despite an overall enrollment decrease for the university. "Students are eager to embrace Iowa State’s innovative mindset and enhance their classroom learning with undergraduate research, learning communities and many experiential opportunities such as those offered in our new Student Innovation Center," President Wendy Wintersteen said. 

After University of Northern Iowa and Des Moines Area Community College in 2020 debuted a streamlined path for DMACC students seeking a four-year UNI degree, the pair have announced a new “tuition equality” initiative allowing the students to get their Panther degrees for a Bears tuition rate.

The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Catalyst Circle is making the initiative possible through a $250,000 grant to fund scholarships for DMACC graduates seeking UNI degrees.

ADM, a global leader in human and animal nutrition, announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire a 75% ownership stake in PetDine, Pedigree Ovens, The Pound Bakery and NutraDine (P4 Companies), premier providers of private label pet treats and supplements. The transaction values the four enterprises in their entirety at approximately $600 million, and ADM will acquire 75% of the equity, subject to customary adjustments.

CORALVILLE, IA / September 8, 2021 / Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc. (“Viewpoint” or the “Company”), a radiopharmaceutical company developing precision lead-212-based α-particle oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, today announced that Frances L. Johnson MD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Viewpoint, will present at the virtual H.C. Wainwright 23rd Annual Global Investment Conference taking place September 13-15, 2021.

Validation of the novel approach (Skroot Laboratory Inc.) is taking to bring PAT to upstream Bioprocessing! This week the USPTO issued Pat. No. 11,105,761 for "Resonant Sensors for Wireless Monitoring of Cell Concentration", the core IP for Skroot Laboratory based out of Ames, IA. 

At nearly the same job creation level as 2019, Alliant’s economic developers teamed with economic development partners on 31 project wins in the 1,300-plus communities Alliant serves across Iowa and Wisconsin. Activity was strong in food processing, animal nutrition, packaging and advanced manufacturing, among other sectors. Significant projects included a major investment from Japanese company Spiber in Clinton, Iowa, which this year claimed the No. 1 spot in Site Selection’s rankings of Mississippi River corridor communities’ economic development activity per capita.

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced that Mike McMullen, Agilent President and CEO, and Bob McMahon, Agilent CFO, will participate in a "fireside chat" discussion at the Wells Fargo Virtual Healthcare Conference Sept. 9. The presentation will be webcast live.

Des Moines Area Community College was named the best employer in Iowa in a Forbes list that ranks the top employers by state. To come up with the list, which was published Aug. 24. Forbes partnered with market research company Statista, which surveyed 80,000 Americans working for companies with at least 500 employees. 

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

Nearly 30 congressional staffers visited several biofuel plants and farms as part of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s Iowa Biofuels: Science and Sustainability Tour. 

Today, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved awards for five Iowa companies, which will assist in the creation of 170 jobs and result in $50.4 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Cedar Rapids, Denison, Indianola and Louisa and Webster counties.

Fluid Quip Technologies produces multiple patented technologies that enhance the corn-to-ethanol dry grind process for ethanol plants, improving run rates, diversifying outputs and increasing efficiency. The company plans to build additional workspace in Cedar Rapids, which will include approximately 12,600 square feet of offices and other accommodating areas. The project represents a nearly $1.3 million capital investment and the board awarded tax benefits and $100,000 in direct financial assistance through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program. It is expected to bring 32 jobs at a qualifying wage of $24.20 per hour.

Heidi S. Nebel, Managing Partner and Chair of the Biotechnology and Chemical Practice Groups at MVS is pleased to announce that several members of the firm have again been recognized in the 28^th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America and two were named as “Lawyer of the Year.”

Today, in an initiative designed to increase access to and awareness of the biopharma industry among Black talent and build a diverse talent pipeline, Bristol Myers Squibb announced its collaboration with Howard University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Morgan State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to launch Tomorrow’s Innovators—a multimillion dollar strategic alliance to attract top HBCU-affiliated talent to the bio-pharma industry in the next five years.

Ames startup Gross-Wen Technologies has raised a $6.5 million Series A investment round, co-led by ISA Ventures and Iowa Farm Bureau’s Rural Vitality Fund. Other investors included Next Level Ventures, Mid-American Angels, Ankeny Angels, Ag Startup Engine, Oman Ventures, and 1330 Investments.

Gross-Wen Technologies has a patented wastewater treatment technology that uses algae to clean wastewater. Today, many municipalities and industries are looking for new solutions to meet stricter federal water quality requirements cost effectively. Gross-Wen’s patented revolving algae biofilm allows both municipalities and industries to retrofit current treatment plants, addressing nutrient management issues in an economical and sustainable way. The company’s byproduct, algae biomass, can then be packaged and sold as slow-release algal fertilizer or bioplastic. 

Renewable Energy Group, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors approved moving forward with construction that will enable both expansion of and improvements to the Company’s Geismar, Louisiana renewable diesel biorefinery. The project is on track to be mechanically complete in 2023 with full operations in early 2024.

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced that it has been certified as a Great Place to Work in the U.S., a prestigious independent recognition based entirely on employee feedback about leadership behavior, integrity, camaraderie, and 17 other dimensions of corporate excellence.

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture and leadership behaviors. Certification is seen as the definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition and a mark of a great employee experience.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the establishment of 11 new NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes – including one led by Iowa State University – building on the first round of seven institutes funded in 2020. The combined investment of $360 million ($220 million in 2021 and $140 million in 2020) expands the reach of those institutes to include a total of 40 states and the District of Columbia.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its report on the economic impact of the biobased products industry on July 29, 2021. The report finds that the U.S. biobased products industry supports nearly 5 million jobs and contributes almost half a trillion dollars to the economy. The report looks at biobased products, such as bioplastics, but does not cover biobased fuels. 

ANKENY, Iowa – July 2021 – PowerPollen® announced today a commercial license agreement with Bayer designed to help corn seed production growers increase their yields. PowerPollen’s Pollination-on-Demand technology gives farmers greater flexibility by allowing them to optimize the timing of pollinations. By accessing the Iowa-based ag tech company’s first scalable pollination technology for corn seed, Bayer will be providing farmers with the prescriptive expertise they need to increase their seeds’ yield and purity.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the company will initiate a Phase 3 development program for the new once-daily investigational triple combination of VX-121/tezacaftor/VX-561 (deutivacaftor) in the second half of 2021.

ADM, a global nutrition solutions leader for the food and beverage and health and wellness industries, has partnered with i-Health Inc. to formulate its Culturelle® Metabolism + Weight Management product featuring ADM’s proprietary BPL1™[1] strain. Culturelle® is the number one-selling probiotic brand globally.

Alliant Energy plans to plant 1 million trees in Iowa and Wisconsin over the next decade, part of the electric utility's efforts to reduce the effects of carbon dioxide emissions.

It will plant at least half of the trees in Iowa, representing each customer it serves, officials said. Iowans will first see the utility's efforts in the state's urban areas, a welcome investment in Cedar Rapids and other cities and towns rebuilding tree canopies decimated by the derecho that ripped through the state last August.

Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer based in Des Moines, announced that its Kemin Biofuels division has begun customer trials of a new low-dose enzyme aimed at reducing production costs for biofuels producers. 

IowaBio Member Companies Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Novartis and Pfizer honored with American Chemical Society (ACS) "Heroes of Chemistry" award, sponsored annually by ACS since 1996.

Genoveva Estrella Antonio, a woman farmer from Pila, Laguna, was named winner of the PMCP-Corteva Agriscience Empowering Women in Agriculture Award.

Merck today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded label for KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) that is not curable by surgery or radiation.

A newly published review of top scientific literature suggests that ethanol-blended fuels widely available at gas stations as E10, E15, or E85 result in less toxic emissions from vehicles and present a lower risk to human health than regular gasoline. The study, a collaboration between The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota and the Energy Resources Center, University of Illinois Chicago, shows that gasoline containing ethanol produces lower emissions of toxic chemicals known to cause cancer.

The work was supported in part by the Renewable Fuels Association and The Hormel Institute.

Des Moines Area Community College celebrated its new Energy Park at its Ankeny campus Wednesday, saying it will increase opportunities for students to get the hands-on training needed to meet the needs of the state’s growing renewable energy industry.

The Science Center of Iowa (SCI) has received a $10,000 grant from Bayer Fund to help create Making Tech Connections, a professional development program for teachers to help their students develop employment skills in computing, algorithms and programming.

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced the creation of the Advancing Inclusive Research^® Site Alliance. This coalition of clinical research sites will partner with Genentech to advance the representation of diverse patient populations in the company’s oncology clinical trials, test recruitment and retention approaches, and establish best practices that can be leveraged across the industry to help achieve health equity for people with cancer. 

A total of 25 students in Iowa and Wisconsin recently received $1,000 Innovation Scholarships from Alliant Energy to recognize their outstanding community leadership and innovative problem solving.

On Tuesday, the mRNA-focused biotech Translate Bio (TBIO) and its partner Sanofi (SNY) said that they had begun what appears to be the first Phase 1 clinical trial testing an mRNA-based vaccine against the seasonal flu. The trial, which will be run in the U.S. and will enroll up to 280 participants, will test two versions of a flu vaccine for safety and for immunogenicity, or the ability to trigger an immune response.

Merck & Co., Inc. receives 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Award for Greener Synthetic Pathways, Bristol Myers Squibb Company receives 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Award for Greener Reaction Conditions.

As part of a continued commitment to the worldwide cancer community, Bayer announced today the first global ‘Precision Oncology Patient Innovation Awards.’ The 2021 Awards aim to foster innovation and collaboration to improve access to precision oncology care and tackle inequalities for people with cancer around the world. 

Lumen Bioscience announced today it has entered into a research collaboration with Novo Nordisk to evaluate the use of Lumen's unique drug development and manufacturing platform in Novo Nordisk's research and development activities within obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG has received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an experimental treatment for advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer, the company said on Wednesday.

Mazen today announced the successful completion of a sow study designed to demonstrate lactogenic immunity induced protection in newborn pigs after oral vaccination against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, (PEDv). The company is developing orally-delivered animal vaccines administered in the feed that revolutionize animal disease prevention.

New results from two studies of CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals' gene editing therapy give further evidence treatment can dramatically benefit, and potentially functionally cure, people with the inherited blood diseases sickle cell and beta thalassemia.

More than 150 food pantries in Iowa and Wisconsin received more than 73,500 meals as Alliant Energy and its customers teamed up to support local families in need. Throughout March and April, Alliant Energy provided three meals to a food pantry for each customer who enrolled in My Account, the company’s online account management tool, according to a May 27 press release.

Cargill and HELM plan to build the biobased intermediate production facility at Cargill’s existing biotechnology campus and corn refining operation in Eddyville, Iowa. The plant will be completed and operating in 2024 to meet the demanding specification of product supply chains.

$6 million program supports 8 universities and associations, including Iowa State University, who are prioritizing higher education opportunities for underrepresented students.

Beginning in 2007, Genentech has been making a concerted effort to increase the representation of women in its senior leadership ranks. It has made tremendous progress. The four lessons from its success are: 1) Data drives the process; 2) everyone is accountable; 3) small actions add up; and 4) if you can’t prove it, it didn’t happen. 

Corteva, Inc. is joining leaders in climate action to become a more carbon-efficient business. In its inaugural 2020 Sustainability Report, the company has detailed a commitment to set science-based targets for its greenhouse gas emission reductions. 

Kemin Industries Inc, a global ingredient manufacturer with operations on six continents and worldwide headquarters in Des Moines, plans to break ground next week on a new building for its Kemin Application Solutions division. The 11,700-square-foot building planned on Kemin’s campus on the east side of Des Moines represents a $4.5 million capital investment, the company said in a news release. The new facility will house a global engineering team that provides application expertise and support of Kemin’s liquid products for customers at their operations.

ADM plans expansion in collaboration with Spiber America LLC, Skroot Laboratory Inc. in Ames awarded a $125,000 Demonstration Fund loan for IP development and evaluation, market planning/entry activities, key personnel and equipment.

Mavacamten, a potential first-in-class cardiac myosin inhibitor for patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM), showed improvement in health status compared to placebo at 30 weeks in EXPLORER-HCM trial

Novo Nordisk recently launched a once-weekly injectable treatment for Type 2 diabetes that stimulates insulin (a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in the blood), suppresses glucagon (a hormone that causes the release of sugar in the blood), and decreases appetite and food intake. The drug is delivered using the shortest and thinnest needle — about as thin as two human hairs — available from Novo Nordisk.

The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company today announced its plan to build North Dakota’s first-ever dedicated soybean crushing plant and refinery to meet fast-growing demand from food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, including producers of renewable diesel.

When the coronavirus pandemic was on the horizon in early 2020, Sanofi’s North America Security Operations & Technology team (NA Security) stepped up to the plate, implementing wide-reaching response and operational continuity efforts across the region to guard the safety and health of its employees and their families.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States, a crucial step in the nation’s steady recovery from the pandemic and a boon to tens of millions of American families eager for a return to normalcy.

Mazen announced the successful close of its Series Seed Round led by Next Level Ventures and joined by Kent Corporation, Ag Startup Engine, Ag Ventures Alliance, ISAV and Summit Ag. The company is developing orally-delivered animal vaccines that revolutionize animal disease prevention. All six first tranche investors came into the second tranche of the Series Seed to close at the targeted amount of $2M.

Kent Corporation is proud to announce it has been selected as a US Best Managed Company for the second consecutive year. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and their achievements.

The winner of the 2021 Iowa Biotech Leader Award was announced and presented on March 3, 2021, to the team members of Project Upstanding at Corteva Agriscience. This group of Corteva researchers received the award through a call for nominations and was selected by a panel of industry experts.

Braasch Biotech LLC, an emerging biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new field of anti-somatostatin vaccines, today announced a Notice of Allowance was received from the Brazilian Intellectual Property Office for Braasch’s patent entitled “Compositions and Methods for Enhanced Somatostatin Immunogenicity in the Treatment of Growth Hormone Deficiency.”

The Iowa Biotechnology Association (IowaBio) has announced the finalists for the 6th annual Biotech Showcase, a bioscience pitch competition offering a $10,000 prize to the winning company. The competition will take place March 2, 2021, during IowaBio’s annual Iowa Biotech Showcase & Conference (“IBSC” – formerly known as Partnering for Growth), to be held virtually in light of COVID-19. 

This year’s Biotech Showcase sponsor is Corteva Agriscience, an IowaBio member and a global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers with the industry’s most complete portfolio of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on helping maximize productivity to enhance yield and profitability.

Cardio Diagnostics, Inc, a biotechnology company making cardiovascular disease prevention and early detection more accessible, personalized and precise, announces the launch of its patent-pending flagship product, Epi+Gen CHD. The Epi+Gen CHD test sensitively assesses the risk for the onset of new coronary heart disease, an ability that is key to providing cost-effective health care for adults.

Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT), founded by two Iowa State University (ISU) professors, has announced a new partnership with University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Algix to develop carbon-sequestering molecular films to capture carbon dioxide with algae. This new partnership was awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
 

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a leading comprehensive genomics solutions provider, is developing a multiplex RT-qPCR test that can detect and distinguish between SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and influenza B from a single patient sample. The new PrimeTime™ SARS-CoV-2/Flu Test is being submitted by IDT for U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc., a radiopharmaceutical company developing precision α-particle oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, today announced it has been awarded a total of $5 million in Phase II grants from the National Cancer Institute under the SBIR program and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grants will be utilized to advance the Company’s proprietary image-guided alpha-particle radiotherapies in development to enable a unique approach to optimize treatment that could potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity associated with many other cancer drugs.

The U.S. is averaging more than two million COVID-19 tests per day- and has reached over 270,000 daily positives. In an effort to help clinicians and researchers more easily test and track pathogens, like SARS-CoV-2 - Clear Labs, provider of the only fully-automated next-generation sequencing platform for turnkey diagnostics, is announcing a broader partnership with Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), which develops and manufactures nucleic acid products that support the life sciences industry. Clear Labs’ EUA approved, turnkey sequencing platform for diagnostic screening and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 utilizes IDT primers as part of its solution.

USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer and Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle are joining several biofuel leaders for two roundtables at the Virtual Iowa Renewable Fuel Summit on January 26. Registration is free and open to the public.

“It’s a new year, new format, and now we have new exciting speakers like Senator Daschle and Chief Economist Meyer to help us make sense of the policy and market environment biofuels producers will be navigating in 2021,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Our roundtable discussions have always been a great opportunity to get a wide swath of perspectives together to tackle the hard questions and I expect this year will be no different.”

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel products for rare and ultra-rare diseases, today announced positive longer-term safety and efficacy data from the first three cohorts of the ongoing Phase 1/2 studies of DTX401, an investigational adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for Glycogen Storage Disease Type Ia (GSDIa), and DTX301, an AAV gene therapy for ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency. In addition, dosing is nearing completion for the prophylactic steroid cohorts in both studies. Discussions with regulatory agencies continue to progress for both programs, and Ultragenyx expects to initiate Phase 3 studies for DTX401 in the first half of 2021 and for DTX301 in the second half of 2021. The company also plans to start a seamless single-protocol Phase 1/2/3 study for UX701, an AAV gene therapy for Wilson disease.

Bayer has signed a collaboration and services agreement with CureVac N.V., a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer will support the further development, supply and key territory operations of CureVac´s COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV. To this end, Bayer will contribute its expertise and established infrastructure in areas such as clinical operations, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, medical information, supply chain performance as well as support in selected countries.