Countermeasures
Soligenix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat rare diseases, recently extended its collaboration with IDT Biologika for the manufacture of RiVax, Soligenix’s proprietary heat-stable ricin toxin vaccine.
Ricin toxin is a by-product of castor oil... Read More »
The United States House Financial Services Committee’s Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing released the results this week of a two-year investigation into terror financing and the threat it poses to the U.S. financial system.
“Combating terror financing is a significant and often... Read More »
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) recently released a study using DNA markers to discern coccobacillus Francisella bacteria to provide a means to distinguish them from the harmful F. tularensis, a virulent pathogen that causes the disease tularemia.
“This large study is particularly... Read More »
A research team at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston recently developed the first vaccine for chikungunya fever, which was made in part from an insect-specific virus that does not have any effect on people.
The new vaccine quickly produces a strong immune defense and... Read More »
A new law that would protect first responders in the event of a terrorist attack using anthrax drew strong support from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).
The First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to carry out a five-year pilot... Read More »
A bill, authored by U.S. Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and John Ratcliffe (R-TX), to strengthen collaborative cybersecurity research initiatives between the United States and Israel was signed into law last week.
The bill, titled the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016,... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, recently sent a letter to Speaker of the House U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) calling for the creation of a Select Committee on Cybersecurity.
Approximately 80 committees and subcommittees currently claim some... Read More »
Battelle, Inc.’s David Winkel was recently recognized by the Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) Industry Group with the Dr. Billy Richardson Award, which recognizes young leaders who are committed to NBC-related defense initiatives.
Winkel is the third Battelle researcher overall to win... Read More »
As the prevalence of smart meters has grown in recent years, utilities are now grappling with cybersecurity challenges presented by the need to protect large volumes of data.
The potential for security breaches can rise exponentially as more smart meters are implemented into utilities systems.... Read More »
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee released last week a comprehensive review of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of intelligence to counter terrorist threats and activities.
The report, “Reviewing the Department of Homeland Security’s Intelligence Enterprise... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) released this week a minority staff memorandum detailing federal support for public health research on gun violence and revealing a setback in federal efforts due to a lack of funding
The memo was released on the four-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) released this week an outline for a public-private partnership to deploy the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (Network), with provisions to ensure progress on key network components within the first 100 days of the new partnership.
The... Read More »
The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently took action to disrupt the financial infrastructure of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) by designating the Iraq-based Selselat al Thahab Money Exchange as well as ISIL financier Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi and his company, the Hanifa... Read More »
The U.S. House passed this week a bipartisan bill authored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) aimed at strengthening the response to acts of terrorism perpetrated by the militant group Boko Haram.
The bill requires a new five-year U.S. government strategy to counter the threats posed by Boko... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this week to bipartisan approval and applause from the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE).
The bill, which authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense, passed the... Read More »
Emergent Biosolutions said on Thursday it signed a $911 million contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to supply vaccines to the Strategic National Stockpile to bolster U.S. national preparedness efforts in the event of a biological attack.
The global biopharmaceutical... Read More »
A coalition of Democratic Congress members recently urged the Obama Administration via letter to provide them with briefings on potential Russian interference during the recent U.S. presidential election.
In the wake of reports speculating that Russia may have interfered in the election,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action earlier this week to impede financial support networks of the terrorist group al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The department designated AQAP leaders Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar and Abdallah Faysal... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity commended the U.S. Senate’s passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, which contains provisions to promote innovation and efficiency in the development of new medical countermeasures.
A key issue the organization cited in the bill was a provision for the development... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently awarded Raytheon BBN Technologies multiple contracts to research and develop technologies to detect and respond to cyber attacks on U.S. power grid infrastructure.
The company will be developing... Read More »
The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) recently indicated the agency plans to implement new technology into its training courses, including the latest evolution of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
IMS technology revolves around a... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) recently publicly requested that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) improve and expand its oversight into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s use of private, for-profit detention facilities.
Thompson’s request comes in the wake of a Homeland... Read More »
A coalition of law enforcement authorities including German police, U.S. authorities, the FBI, Europol, Eurojust and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently dismantled an international criminal infrastructure platform known as Avalanche.
The Avalanche network was used... Read More »
FLIR Systems Inc. recently acquired Prox Dynamics AS, a company that develops and manufactures nano-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for military and para-military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications, for $134 million.
Norway-based Prox Dynamics develops, manufactures... Read More »
Legislation to protect first responders from anthrax exposure in the event of a biological attack passed the House on Tuesday and will now go to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
The First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act would authorize a pilot program for the Department of... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic A/S recently completed its enrollment of a Phase 3 clinical study designed to demonstrate non-inferiority between the company’s investigational, non-replicating smallpox vaccine called Imvamune and ACAM2000, the current U.S.-licensed and replicating smallpox vaccine.
The U.S.... Read More »
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) is collaborating with renowned researcher Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, on a project to help combat the effects of chemical and biological agents.
The project, called Ex Vivo Console of... Read More »
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a recently passed resolution have called for greater cooperation between countries in Europe to strengthen security and defense to combat an increase in terrorism, cyber threats and energy insecurity.
“Our union is not equipped to face overwhelming... Read More »
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), in conjunction with the Southwest University in Chongqing, China and the University of Lueven in Belgium, recently developed a way to replicate the basic structure of the Zika virus without the genes that make the virus infectious.
The research... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) recently held a two-day workshop in Manila, Philippines on simplifying visa procedures for both Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and non-ASEAN nationals.
The workshop featured presentations from government, law enforcement,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently opened a new temporary holding facility in Tornillo-Guadalupe, Texas in response to a recent surge in illegal border crossings by migrants along the southwest border of the United States.
The facility, housed at the CBP Tornillo-Guadalupe Port... Read More »
United Nations (UN) member states recently adopted a resolution by consensus to further strengthen collaboration between the UN and Interpol against transnational crime and terrorism.
Member states discussed issues related to counterterrorism during the 71st session of the UN General Assembly,... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently conducted a demonstration for U.S. senators on the latest defense technology: a state-of-the art head-mounted, augmented reality (AR) display.
ECBC initially developed the AR headset to be used for military training, however, the center... Read More »
According to a recent study by the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, a particular malaria parasite affecting children in Africa is evading rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), threatening malaria eradication efforts.
Most RDTs rely on the detection of histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2),... Read More »
A coalition of local and national agencies recently took part in a four-day, full-scale exercise in Omaha, Nebraska to evaluate and test the ability to provide international medical transport for multiple patients with a highly infectious disease.
The drill was developed by the National... Read More »
