Countermeasures
In an effort to enhance support for its development, the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) granted priority medicine (PRIME) designation in September to a new chikungunya virus vaccine candidate developed by Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
“Emergent is pleased to... Read More »
While the bacteria listeria and the associated infection known as listeriosis has been well known for decades, an international research team recently discovered the most virulent species to date, able to infect and kill humans and animals.
This discovery was isolated in China, by scientists... Read More »
KickView Corporation, based in Greenwood Village, Colo., has secured $147,413, from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate to aid customs processing speed and efficacy efforts.
The scope of work would involve the firm adapting kvSonata, its existing software... Read More »
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) is urging colleagues to take action regarding border security in the wake of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcing nearly 1 million southwest border enforcement actions.
The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rogers extended gratitude to CBP... Read More »
Shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Lockheed Martin recently held a ceremony in Marinette, Wis., to commemorate the start of construction for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 27, the future USS Nantucket.
"LCS' built-in flexibility makes it unlike any other Navy ship in the water today," Joe... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is backing a new technology that will allow doctors to better understand injuries caused by inhaled chlorine gas.
The technology is referred to as lung-on-a-chip, developed by Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM). The... Read More »
In a survey published this week in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists concluded that the market has thus far failed to support new antibiotics for the increasing troubles of drug-resistant superbugs.
"New drugs against CRE... Read More »
Terrorist attacks have declined globally for the fourth consecutive year while in the United States they have reached their highest level since 1982, according to a report from the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).
The... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on the opportunities and challenges related to hypersonic weapons.
Hypersonic weapons fly at least 3,800 miles per hour at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and are highly maneuverable and may be able to change targets... Read More »
A group of Republican senators sent a letter to Microsoft President Brad Smith to address questions he raised about Chinese telecom company Huawei.
The letter was in response to comments Smith made recently in Bloomberg Businessweek on how the U.S. government should provide more evidence of... Read More »
Doha, Qatar, served as the site of a training initiative focusing on addressing risks arising from chemical accidents and the potential misuse of toxic chemicals in ports and maritime venues.
“We aim to raise global standards and set norms for the safety, security, and efficiency of ports and... Read More »
The New York State Department of Health declared last week the end of a nearly year-long measles outbreak within the state that had put the United States at risk of losing its measles elimination status.
In all, 1,249 cases of measles ravaged the United States over the year, according to the... Read More »
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) introduced last week legislation designed to prevent foreign intervention in domestic elections.
The bill would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign nationals from paying for online advertisements created to attack or support federal... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel staffing the Office of Field Operations at the Hidalgo and Anzalduas International Bridges foiled a drug smuggling attempt yielding a $1.4 million seizure.
“These were two great interceptions of hard narcotics that our officers were able to detect... Read More »
A U.S. tuberculosis vaccination trial utilizing edible sensor technology has reportedly cured 100 percent of participants, leading researchers to suggest that the technology could be a “game changer” in high-risk countries.
A part of Wirelessly Observed Therapy (WOT), the ingestible sensor... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently toured the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station mosquito lab to learn more about research into Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
The lab tracks and researches vector-borne diseases, and in 2017, received a five-year, $10 million grant from the... Read More »
The number of Ebola survivors from the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) topped 1,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The survival rate is largely due to an increase in the amount of medical interventions.
“The recent... Read More »
Lawmakers are urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to prevent delaying the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) as a replacement for the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) recently joined a group of legislators in forwarding correspondence to... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) three recommendations regarding security measure implementation and stakeholder involvement in such endeavors.
The GAO report showed that the TSA’s process does not clearly define when or... Read More »
The National Threat Initiative (NTI) worked with hospitals, research universities, and other stakeholders to prepare a report with effective and secure solutions to support Congressional efforts to eliminate cesium-137 from facilities around the United States.
The report -- Preventing a Dirty... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded $199,680 to a firm to address security threats to connected devices.
The award went to Bastille Networks of Atlanta, Ga., for its Internet of Things (IoT) security solution that gives system administrators... Read More »
The United States and the United Kingdom entered into a recent agreement that will allow law enforcement agencies to demand electronic data from tech companies in either country for serious crimes.
The US-UK Bilateral Data Access Agreement would apply to serious crimes, including terrorism,... Read More »
California’s Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority (SVFRA) recently received $3,382,458 grant funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s SAFER program.
Authorities said the allotment would fund 12 Firefighter/Paramedic positions, enabling an increase in staffing levels on... Read More »
FLIR Systems has reached an agreement to acquire Aria Insight’s Intellectual property (IP) and certain operating assets.
Aria, which was previously known as CyPhy Works, Inc., pioneered the development of tethered small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and developed the Persistent Aerial... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) this week named Dr. Thomas File, Jr. as its newest president, along with five new board members.
File intends to lead the organization in a fight against antimicrobial resistance, developing relationships with state and regional infectious... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy recently created a new research center to advance the study and development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Scientists from the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Georgia Institute of Technology will staff the new... Read More »
A U.S. Senate resolution recently recognized October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2019.
This year’s theme is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” The goal is to emphasize personal accountability and to take proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity.
Key areas of focus this year... Read More »
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have appointed Dr. Alfonso Clavijo as director of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).
The NBAF, which is currently under construction by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a research and diagnostic facility designed to... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reminding U.S. citizens that, beginning Oct. 1, 2020, all air travelers must be REAL ID-compliant to fly within the United States.
Travelers must present a REAL ID driver's license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license or other acceptable forms of... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced intentions to enhance collective autonomous systems in a way that will support urban troop offensives, and to that end, are seeking proposals for operational swarm tactics and new technologies to integrate into these swarms.
It is... Read More »
(Corrects paragraph 4 to reflect the location of U.S. Space Command headquarters has not yet been decided.)
Air Force Gen. John Raymond, who was selected in August by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Space Command, recently emphasized the need for U.S. superiority in an increasingly... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute Inc. of Washington, D.C., with about $20.5 million to develop vaccines against Marburg virus and Sudan ebolavirus infections.
Both diseases are caused by the same family of viruses... Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has earmarked funds to aid the development of new technology that could bolster emergency preparedness by producing platelets outside the human body.
If the two-year, $4.9 million agreement between HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development... Read More »
Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems, a joint venture of Raytheon Company and Rheinmetall Land Systems, selected Monday Textron Systems to produce the chassis the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
The joint venture is looking to offer Lynx to meet the Army's requirement for an Optionally Manned... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved Bavarian Nordic to market a new, alternative smallpox vaccine known as JYNNEOS.
JYNNEOS is a live, non-replicating vaccine specifically made for adults. It is an alternative to the existing ACAM2000, which though licensed, cannot be... Read More »
