Government
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have reached an interagency agreement with AstraZeneca to support phase 1 clinical development of a monoclonal antibody combination therapy for use against COVID-19.
This... Read More »
A new bill introduced by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Tom Udall (D-NM), ranking members of the Committee of Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies respectively, proposes to test and ensure workers’ compensation coverage for... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Roger Williams (R-TX) and Denny Heck (D-WA) introduced a bill that would move the Secret Service from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Department of the Treasury, where it originally started.
The U.S. Secret Service Mission Improvement and Realignment Act of 2020... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Conor Lamb (D-PA) introduced legislation that would require foreign nations to implement systems for reporting and monitoring outbreaks of novel diseases.
In addition, the Never Again International Outbreak Prevention Act (H.R. 7132) would sanction bad... Read More »
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)is encouraging the Defense Department and his congressional colleagues to reform military training procedures in the wake of a Bradenton soldier’s death during a training exercise.
Buchanan recently forwarded correspondence to the chairmen and ranking members of the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced a bill that would prevent explosive nuclear weapons testing.
According to a report by The Washington Post, senior Trump administration have recently discussed conducting an explosive nuclear test.
The Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives... Read More »
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense supports efforts by Congress to improve the country’s biodefense following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This will not be the last biological crisis this nation faces,” commission members wrote to Congressional leaders. “In addition to the potential... Read More »
The Coast Guard recently joined three other agencies in signing an agreement they said is designed to assess Hawaii’s harbors following disasters such as severe weather events.
The Coast Guard has agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Read More »
As part of an expansion to their existing partnership, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and MODERNATX, Inc. will increase the domestic manufacturing capacity of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, a candidate to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The relationship has been ongoing... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced legislation to ensure that the United States can mass produce and administer a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available.
The Coronavirus Vaccine Development Act requires the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development... Read More »
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines how federal agencies use infectious disease modeling to fight outbreaks and what can be done to improve them.
The report, titled “Infectious Disease Modeling: Opportunities to Improve Coordination and Ensure... Read More »
West Virginia officials are espousing the benefits of a $2.5 million Department of Justice (DOJ) funding allotment to aid several local police departments.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) said the $2,564,147 in funding allows law enforcement agencies to hire additional... Read More »
Bell Textron Inc., has reached agreements with nine aerospace industry firms to form Team Invictus, which will produce the Bell 360 Invictus prototype for the U.S. Army.
“Team Invictus is working together to show how cutting-edge technology will give soldiers the ability to confidently operate... Read More »
As part of a validation study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publicly posted test performance data from four antibody test kits this week.
This independent performance validation effort is being undertaken alongside the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is seeking unanimous consent on a resolution that encourages U.S. engagement with the international community on the COVID-19 response.
The resolution is in response to the Trump Administration’s failure to participate in global summits related to the research and... Read More »
First responders and healthcare workers stand to benefit from a new partnership between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Evidation Health, which are sifting through data from wearable devices to create an early warning algorithm for COVID-19 symptoms.
This... Read More »
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials said Baltimore special agents seized over 14,000 unapproved COVID-19 capsules and several COVID-19 test kits via Operation Stolen Promise.
Operation Stolen Promise is a national operation that includes... Read More »
Hollingsworth & Vose has secured a $2.2 million Department of Defense (DoD) contract to increase domestic ventilator and respirator production.
The effort involves producing 27.5 million N95 filters, and 3.1 million N95 respirators per monthly, beginning in August. The endeavor is in support of... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is working with Quidel Corp. to develop to detect COVID-19 and three additional respiratory viruses.
The two will work together to develop a rapid multi-analyte diagnostic test for use on the Sofia 2 assay system to detect the... Read More »
As authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS ASPR) has released an additional $250 million for aid health care systems treating COVID-19... Read More »
The latest addition to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) COVID-19 countermeasure portfolio is an automated total antibody test being developed in partnership with Siemens Healthineers.
The serological, lab-based test proposes to detect two items in human... Read More »
Pentagon officials said FLIR Systems has installed its EST screening system at the Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., to screen visitors for potential COVID-19 symptoms.
“For more than 40 years, FLIR has provided advanced thermal imaging technology to America’s military — on its aircraft,... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently delivered testimony maintaining the lack of foreign drug manufacturer inspections removes critical information about the quality of drugs manufactured for markets here.
The GAO said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began postponing almost... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) met with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to examine cyberattacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The attacks have been targeting federal... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) introduced two bills designed to boost COVID-19 diagnostic testing.
Together, the two pieces of legislation would provide $750 million of grants for public health laboratories, hospitals, and other health providers.
“In order to save... Read More »
A partnership between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and biotechnology company Genentech will yield a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate two investigational drugs for the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases: anti-ST2 and IL-22-Fc.
The drugs will be tested on... Read More »
In separate statements released this week, both the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and the nonpartisan, nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) expressed concern with the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Terminating the U.S.... Read More »
More than 30 countries and international partners/institutions have rallied behind the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a new initiative from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Costa Rica designed to make scientific tools to fight COVID-19 universally available.
The show of unity... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said the initial launch of six Cyber Essentials Toolkits provides small businesses and government agencies with a foundational means of addressing cybersecurity risks.
“We thank all of our partners in government and the private... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials said a pair of California-based firms have been selected to participate in its Gamma Ray Inspection Technology (GRIT) program to aid medical applications.
Lumitron Technologies and RadiaBeam Technologies have initiated efforts to... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) introduce legislation directing federal agencies to share real-time information about testing supply inventory and shortages publicly.
Hospitals, health care systems, nursing homes, and first responders have struggled to obtain tests and other critical supplies... Read More »
Operation Warp Speed, the White House-created program to speed up COVID-19 vaccine candidate development and manufacturing domestically, will benefit from a $628 million expansion of an existing public-private partnership with Emergent BioSolutions Inc., the U.S. Department of Health and Human... Read More »
U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and Royal Canadian navy personnel maintain a recently signed five-year strategic plan will establish the foundation for future coordination and joint operations.
“Whether it’s combating criminal activity by international drug cartels in the eastern pacific, or... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently announced that two entities are collaborating to build and test a fifth-generation (5G) cellular network.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) and the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) are partnering... Read More »
Under a $4.6 million contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and Defense Innovation United (DIU), PercuSense has been tapped to develop a continuous biosensor system for early detection of potential toxic chemical exposure among soldiers and first responders.
PercuSense, a... Read More »
