The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "biotech" ...
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Genetic Modified Food
In a two-part series, senior investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian examined the business of genetic engineering and the growing impact it is having on the way we grow food, and what we eat. Part one take a look at the business practices of Mondsanto, a major bio-tech seed maker, which patents its genetically modified seeds. Monsanto sells the seed to farmers but prohibits them from replanting their seeds after harvest, a practice known to farmers for 11,000 years. In the story, the team found that Monsanto has been coming after small farmers for seed piracy, suing them when Monsanto suspects farmers of planting its patented seeds "illegally" even when those farmers have never purchased or planted and Monsanto products. Part two examines the secret changes to our foods and asks, why don't we, in the U.S., label genetically modified ingredients when it is done with regular practice in Europe, Japan, Australia and our trading partners? Whether we realize it or not, we probably ate something for dinner last night that had a DNA-altered ingredient in it, but the FDA says that these ingredients do not have to be labeled and therefore no one knows when they are eating genetically modified foods.
Tags: Monsanto; genetically modified food; soybeans; farming; agriculture; seed cleaning; food
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The cell game: Sam Waksal's fast money and false promises -- and the fate of ImClone's cancer drug
This book is a behind-the-scenes look at ImClone and the biotech company's CEO, Sam Waksal. ImClone's drug Erbitux promised a revolutionary way to treat cancer. Bristol-Myers Squibb signed an unprecedented $2 billion deal to market the drug. Waksal lived a life of luxury. But by late December 2001 the FDA rejected Erbitux because ImClone's science was "sloppy" and "incomplete." Waksal tried to cash in before his stock plummeted on the news. He forged signatures and traded his family's shares on inside information, an unfolding scandal that also ensnared Martha Stewart, a friend of Waksal. He is now in jail.
Tags: BOOK; ImClone; Erbitux; Waksal; cancer drug; insider trading; FDA; SEC; DOJ
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ImClone Systems
An investigation by The Street.com revealed questions over ImClone Systems handling of its drug Erbitux, long before an early morning raid in June 2002 that ended with the company's CEO, Sam Waksal, handcuffed by police. In late 2001, The Street.com reported on a sweetheart loan that went to Waksal during negotiations with Bristol-Myers. It also reported that something was amiss with the Erbitux application two weeks before the Food and Drug Administration rejected the application. Throughout 2002, while others focused on the insider trading scandal involving Waksal and Martha Stewart, The Street.com remained focused on ImClone and "the trouble it was having getting Erbitux back on track.
Tags: ImClone Systems; Sam Waksal; insider trading; biotech; financial; Food and Drug Administration; Erbitux; online; CD
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Whose Body Is It Anyway?
CBS News explores the "controversial practice of patenting human genes," and warns that it can possibly have adverse effects on the development of health care, as researchers do not share scientific knowledge anymore. The report tells the stories of two homosexuals who felt like "walking miracles" because their AIDS tests continued to come up negative. They offered themselves for research and contributed to a genetic discovery that explained their immunity. Now Steve Crohn and Eric Fuchs insist on becoming co-owners of the rare gene that has been patented by the research organization, CBS reports. The segment extensively quotes Lori Andrews, adviser to Congress on biotech issues, whose point is that "greed has become a cultural value in health care."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Myriad Genetics; Human Genome Project; Aaaron Diamond AIDS Research Center; science; trade; patents
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Undue Influence
The American Prospect examines the deregulation trend in the pharmaceutical industry. The report finds that laws passed in 1992 and 1997 "left the Food and Drug Administration beholden to the very industry it is supposed to regulate, and the public vulnerable to unsafe drugs." The story reveals that more than 100,000 Americans die each year from adverse reactions to prescription drugs. However, President Bush, who received contributions of $456,000 from the pharmaceutical industry, will likely prove receptive to drug companies' pleas for additional deregulation, points out the magazine.
Tags: FDA; biotech; AIDS; regulations; George W. Bush; life-threatening diseases; medications; drug testing; Prescription Drug User Fee Act; Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act; television ads; research; safety; health; Viagra; Rezulin
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The Biotech Bet
Governing reports on "cultivating biotechnology" as a major economic development objective in Arkansas. The story looks at finances behind the biotech research and development efforts throughout the country. The article details initiatiatives coming from the business and the academic world, but also examines "the public sector's role in helping fledgling enterprises to thrive." The report describes methods of pumping capital into money-starved biotech companies, and some competitive advantages of small cities that are not amongst the largest biotech incubators.
Tags: genetics; research; medicine; farming; agriculture; venture capital funds; tax-credits; high-tech; National Rice Research Center; pharmaceuticals; FDA; labor; PhD
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Laboratory Hybrids; How Adroit Scientists Aid Biotech Companies With Taxpayer Money
The Wall Street journal reports on "entreprenurial scientists... using private nonprofits to obtain government grants -- and then using the money to fund their own for-profit biotechnology ventures." Some non-profits share office space, employees and equipment with their for-profit partner, which are sometimes run by the same person.
Tags: biotechnology; National Insititutes of Health; non-profits; grants
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A Regulatory Maize
The Legal Times examines the maze of issues surrounding the regulation of biotech foods to find out who is responsible for overseeing the biotechnology industry. "It just doesn't make sense--the FDA is looking at food, and the EPA is looking at certain seeds, and the USDA is look at other aspects of genetically modified food," the Legal Times quotes a Durbin staffer.
Tags: biotechnology; bioengineering; bioengineered corn; regulation of biotech foods; StarLink; Department of Agriculture; Enivronmental Protection Agency; Food and Drug Administration; Biotechnology Industry Organization
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Genetically Modified Foods: Are They Safe
The story analyses whether genetically modified crops are an "environmental dream come true" or "disaster in the making." The author looks at the cost to wildlife, in particular the possible hazards that pollen from insect-resistant corn plants poses to the larvae of monarch butterflies. The reporter examines the worries that genes from GM crops may contaminate the surrounding plants. The investigation finds that "U.S. landscape logistics make it unlikely that herbicide-tolerant or Bt crops will spread their biotech genes," but "it might be harder to avoid creating superweeds elsewhere."
Tags: pollen; transgenic crops; Environmental Protection Agency; agriculture; environment; viruses; species
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Banking on Biotech
The story examines the controversies surrounding biotech research and development, and sheds light on some of the little known risks to the environment and the customers. The investigation finds that "public and private funds increasingly commingle in cooperative agreements with private industry," and that biotechnology is facing severe public relation problems. The reporter looks at the research activities at the Texas A&M University and finds that it "is well-situated to ride the crest in the coming biotech boom."
Tags: farms; crops; life science; agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food and Drug Administration; Environmental Protection Agency; genetically modified foods; labeling; Monsanto; StarLink; Aventis; Novartis; Pioneer; allergy