Countermeasures
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is creating a process to identify potential chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats from non-state actors.
The project, called Advancing U.S. CWMD/CWMT Capabilities in Support of the... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has partnered with Bharat Biotech (BBIL) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to develop a Chikungunya vaccine, providing as much as $14.1 million for manufacturing and clinical development.
On the line is a two-dose,... 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 »
Scientists and engineers at Texas A&M University are developing a device that can rapidly identify antibodies that can neutralize infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
"The difficulty of developing therapeutics and vaccines against emerging viral threats can also be obviously... 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 »
BAE Systems said it has completed the initial test of its APKWS laser-guided rockets from a tactical configuration ground-based weapon system.
“Our customers see the value in low-cost, precision-strike capabilities that reduce the risk of collateral damage, and they want the flexibility to... 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 »
Chimeron Bio and George Mason University's National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases (NCBID) are teaming up to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine development will be based on Chimeron Bio's ChaESARTM self-amplifying RNA technology. Plus, it will integrate Mason's complimenting... 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 »
A phase 3 clinical trial that will utilize a mix of Actemra/RoActemra and remdesivir on hospitalized COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia is expected to begin in June, as part of a collaboration between Roche and Gilead Sciences, Inc.
That trial, REMDACTA, will be double-blind, randomized,... Read More »
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it will manufacture 1 billion doses of its pandemic vaccine adjuvant system in 2021 to support the development of multiple adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
The pharmaceutical company says its pandemic adjuvant technology could make a significant contribution... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) last week introduced legislation designed to better detect and contain infectious disease outbreaks overseas before they become global pandemics.
The Global Health Security and Diplomacy Act (GHSDA) requires the president to... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and John Cornyn (R-TX) are urging President Donald Trump to avoid nuclear arms control treaties that put constraints on the United States while allowing adversaries to build up their nuclear arsenals.
“You and your administration have long... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) are seeking information from leadership at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the agency’s efforts to maintain food safety and address food supply disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although COVID-19 is not known... Read More »
Following a response to her request of state and federal agencies to provide a detailed account of COVID-19 response efforts, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne’s (D-IA) has launched a data tracker to provide accountability in the system.
Announcing her efforts as a matter of transparency, Axne has now... Read More »
A new reference panel being offered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes an additional, independent validation step to guarantee the quality of COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
Since COVID-19 reached U.S. shores earlier this year, many tests have arisen to detect its viral cause:... Read More »
Recent findings from a NORC at the University of Chicago study have determined if a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, 49 percent of respondents said they plan to get vaccinated.
The nationwide poll was conducted May 14-18, 2020, via the AmeriSpeak Panel - the probability-based panel of NORC at... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said Office of Field Operations (OFO) personnel at the Hidalgo International Bridge seized $2,446,000 worth of alleged methamphetamine concealed within a vehicle.
On May 23, an officer encountered a brown 1999 Ford F150 pickup driven by a 20-year-old... Read More »
The Council of Europe Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT) issued a statement on the importance of a coordinated response to bioterrorism.
The committee said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of modern societies to viral infections. The intentional use of a pathogen or... Read More »
