Colorado Biotech Unlocking Critical Minerals for U.S. National Security
As China leverages critical mineral supply chains for geopolitical gain, the United States must embrace the power of innovative biomining to reach vast untapped resources of domestic critical minerals.
27, July 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver, Colorado –
Last week, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) traveled toColorado on its Biotech Across America Roadshow. Commissioner Alexander Titus met with local biotechnology industry leaders, researchers, academia, and state officials to explore how Colorado’s collaborative approach to innovation is empowering entrepreneurs to accelerate discovery and reshape the future of the U.S. critical mineral supply chain, as well as advanced therapeutics.
The United States is dangerously reliant on other countries, especially China, for our supply of the critical minerals used in essential consumer products, like laptops and cellphones, as well as defense and weapons systems. Through biomining, vast and previously untapped sources of critical minerals can now be used to close the gap on this strategic vulnerability, and Colorado companies are leading the way.
“When talking about critical minerals and the supply chain vulnerabilities the U.S. faces, the conversation usually starts with ‘where we can dig’,” said NSCEB Commissioner Alexander Titus. “But as biotechnology accelerates and new methods of accessing these materials emerge, we must ask a different question: ‘how can we get more from the resources we already have?’ Colorado’s biomining pioneers are answering that question and providing the answer. Reducing America’s critical minerals dependence starts with biotechnology.”
“There’s copper sitting in material at mines that are already operating. Microbes recover it,” said Liz Dennett, Founder and CEO of Endolith. “That’s the idea, and it’s older than mining itself. We’re making it reliable and scalable for modern operations. Every ton we recover from an existing mine is a ton we don’t have to import or leave in the ground. That’s one practical way to strengthen America’s critical mineral supply.”
“Aligned with the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, NLR plays a crucial role in the Colorado biotechnology ecosystem, working with industry and academic partners toward solving the toughest challenges in the production of cost-effective critical minerals, chemicals and materials,” saidJud Virden, Director of National Laboratory of the Rockies. “We are honored to share with the commission our vision and state-of-the-art facilities that serve as a key resource to accelerate advanced bioprocessing from fundamental research to production at pilot scale.”
“Meeting the growing demand for critical minerals is an economic and national security imperative,” said Alicia Polo y La Borda Cavero, Executive Director of Critical Minerals Strategy and Advancement at Colorado School of Mines. “Colorado School of Mines is proud to host the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s roadshow, and we applaud its work in support innovative biotech solutions. As the world’s top mining and minerals program, we are training the talent and collaborating with public and private partners to advance novel extraction methods—like bioleaching—to unlock previously inaccessible resources and secure our nation’s critical mineral supply chains.”
“When people hear biotech, they tend to think of life sciences. But many of the tools that transformed pharmaceuticals have been deployed in other industries and can be aimed at additional sectors, including the separation and refining of critical minerals,” said Nathan Ratledge, Founder & CEO of Alta Resources. “Colorado is a traditional home of the mining industry and has a leading bioscience and entrepreneurial community. It’s a unique confluence of technology and expertise, which is why we are building Alta in Colorado.”
“Biotechnology is the next arena of strategic competition, and America must lead it,” said Viswa Colluru, PhD., Founder & CEO of Enveda. “At Enveda, we’ve built the world’s largest foundation model for nature’s chemistry right here in Colorado—turning billions of years of evolutionary intelligence into a domestic engine for the medicines, resilience, and scientific edge our nation’s security depends on.”
Event Details:
On Thursday, July 23rd, the Roadshow stop began in Golden, Colorado with a series of roundtable discussions hosted by Colorado School of Mines and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). After an overview of the regional biotech ecosystem, participants joined two opening sessions covering Colorado’s unique contributions to biotechnology, from how the state is scaling new biotech capabilities to how it is building America’s critical mineral advantage.
The third session explored how the local biotech industry is collaborating with Colorado’s world-class academic institutions to cultivate a new generation of innovators at the leading edge of engineering, mining, and biotechnology.
In the afternoon, Commissioner Titus traveled to the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) to learn more about how the laboratory is reenvisioning biotechnology and biomanufacturing. NLR’s facilities include advanced bioprocessing and biomaterials capabilities for taking biomass and waste all the way to finished products at scale. By integrating new advances in biotechnology into scalable workflows, NLR’s facilities are positioned to enable industry to tackle tough problems in the production of chemicals, materials, and critical minerals.
On Friday, July 24th, Commissioner Titus made three site visits near Boulder to see biotech innovation in action, particularly around pioneering biomining technologies and processes.
The first visit was to Alta Resource Technologies. Alta is a biomining company that uses engineered proteins to separate and recover critical minerals from mining and electronic waste. The facility tour featured Alta’s pilot scale infrastructure and a preview of their demonstration facility.
The second site visit was to Enveda, a therapeutics company leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to discover novel medicines from nature’s chemistry. The tour focused on Enveda’s unique technology that characterizes plant chemistry to discover new medicines.
The third site and final event of the trip was a tour of Endolith in Arvada. Endolith uses microbiology and machine learning to extract copper and other critical minerals from mining waste. Here, Commissioner Titus saw some of the processes Endolith is using to help secure America’s copper supply chain.
Participants included:
- Alta Resources Technologies
- Beck Venture Center
- Colorado Bioscience Association
- Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State University
- Endolith
- Engineering Biology Research Consortium
- Enveda
- KBI Biopharma
- National Laboratory of the Rockies
- Office of U.S. Representative Brittany Petersen
- Office of U.S. Representative Joe Neguse
- Office of U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper
- Office of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet
- Safion Renewables
- U.S. Geological Survey
Biotech Across America Roadshow: The Commission is hitting the road to highlight biotechnology across America, including the companies, academic institutions, workforce development programs, and policy initiatives that are driving the future for this rapidly growing industry. Commissioners will continue learning about the work being done across this vibrant ecosystem while engaging on the key findings and recommendations from the Commission’s recent report to Congress.
About NSCEB: The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is a time-limited, high-impact legislative branch advisory entity whose purpose is to advance and secure biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and associated technologies for U.S. national security and to prepare the United States for the bioindustrial revolution. The Commission published a comprehensive report in April 2025, including recommendations for action by Congress and the federal government. The bipartisan Commission is composed of Congressionally-appointed Commissioners with members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as experts from industry, academia, and government. For more information about the Commission and to view the report, visit: biotech.senate.gov.
Contacts:
NSCEB: press@biotech.senate.gov
