Countermeasures
With diagnostic testing as important as ever in the battle to contain COVID-19, researchers from various institutions under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have banded together to create a new sample preparation method for detecting SARS-CoV-2.
The collaboration has... Read More »
In advance of the 20th Anniversary of 9-11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin.
DHS said the country faced a heightened threat environment due to the terror attack’s anniversary and several religious holidays. The threats, the... Read More »
Area Port of Memphis Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the agency routinely seizes low-quality, counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards.
This fiscal year, Memphis has initiated 121 seizures totaling 3,017 of the fake vaccination cards. The cards regularly contain typographical... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that its Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is expanding its Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) to reduce domestic violence.
The OVW awarded an estimated $6 million for up to 12 venues and $4 million for training and technical... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week authorized the use of third COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. for patients with compromised immune systems.
The decision follows months of build-up surrounding... Read More »
Promoting community response and assistance, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that its Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) will expand efforts to reduce domestic violence inflicted with firearms, with $10 million on offer.
Presented through the expansion of the... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday that its agency-wide forced labor team was awarded the 2021 Service to America Medals (“Sammies”) People’s Choice Award by the non-profit Partnership for Public Service.
CBP’s forced labor team investigates goods suspected of... Read More »
The specialty vaccine firm Valneva SE has initiated a Phase 3 trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001.
VLA2001-304 seeks to generate data in the elderly and is designed to potentially enable variant-bridging through immune-comparability. Study data is slated to complement ongoing... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued seven recommendations to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NSSA) regarding lithium activities.
The analysis and recommendations stem from NSSA facilities deteriorating and the agency proposing a new facility to meet lithium... Read More »
According to a new manuscript published in Science last week, the majority of people given Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine maintained antibodies not just against SARS-CoV-2, but against many of its variants of concern, for six months after a second dose.
The two-dose vaccine has been... Read More »
The more than 25,000 healthcare workers employed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, adding it to a list of requirements that include influenza and other routine vaccinations.
“Our number one goal is the health and safety of... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized nearly 3 tons of methamphetamine and fentanyl powder hidden in a shipment of household articles, officials said Tuesday.
The seizure was the largest methamphetamine drug smuggling seizure along the... Read More »
First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) officials recently joined AT&T personnel in unveiling tools designed to aid Rhode Island first responders.
AT&T has delivered a pair of Compact Rapid Deployables (CRDs) to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) - adding the state is the... Read More »
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $273 Million contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in support of fleet ships that include aircraft carriers and surface ships.
“Continuous modernization and sustainment of our nation’s fleet is essential to our national security,” Garry Schwartz,... Read More »
With the introduction of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act (H.R. 4989) this week, U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) have proposed a grant to educate students, teachers, and school personnel on the warning signs of human... Read More »
In a letter to federal officials, eight senators from the Western United States called for coordination and development of a strategy to counter jet fuel shortages, which they fear could exacerbate the dangers of wildfire season through grounded aircraft.
“As you are well aware, the 2020... Read More »
Members of Congress this summer ramped up bipartisan efforts with the introduction of at least eight bills that seek to help the United States prepare for and respond to pandemics and other public health emergencies.
Most recently, the Disease X Act, S. 2640, proposed on Aug. 5 by U.S. Sens.... Read More »
Howe & Howe Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems Corporation, recently unveiled the Thermite EV2, an all-electric firefighting robot, as well as a new handheld controller.
“It’s important that we give our first responders the best we have to offer so that they can complete their missions... Read More »
Lockheed Martin has secured a $157 million Missile Defense Agency contract to upgrade Command, Control, Battle Management & Communications (C2BMC) system capability.
Officials indicated the scope of work would include augmenting C2BMC’S engagement support capability for the Ground-Based... Read More »
This week yielded multiple attempts from Republican legislators to crack down on what they see as massive health concerns at the United States-Mexico border, urging COVID-19 tests for migrants, a field hearing on illegal immigration and border health protections, and increased support for... Read More »
A budget push from U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) seeks to require the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) to report reconciliation legislation of $50.2 billion for military infrastructure improvements, among other items.
If accepted, their... Read More »
Legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Rick Scott (R-FL) that would enhance cybersecurity assistance to K-12 schools systems pass the Senate, the Congressmen announced Tuesday.
The bill, the K-12... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently selected three teams to support the Harnessing Enzymatic Activity for Lifesaving Remedies (HEALR) program.
The HEALR program, which bolsters chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, and microbiology expertise to transform the field of... Read More »
Groups of medical experts this week proposed a standardized definition for defining and evaluating placental SARS-CoV-2 infections to optimize both clinical care and new research, as well as the pursuit of COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant individuals.
The first came from a panel of experts... Read More »
Regulatory approval was granted for two new clinical trials of INO-4800 in China this week, allowing its creator INOVIO and its partners Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals Suzhou Co. Ltd. and Sinovac Biotechnology to investigate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of different... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced Monday that he had introduced legislation responding to sonic attacks on U.S. diplomatic personnel worldwide.
Called the Havana Syndrome Attacks Response Act, the legislation seeks to protect... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced last week legislation designed to strengthen critical infrastructure cybersecurity and address foreign governments knowingly harboring cybercriminals.
The Sanction and Stop Ransomware Act seeks to initiate critical... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced it has been working with the cruise industry to modernize the passenger arrival process via biometric facial comparison.
The technology provides an extra layer of security while streamlining travel into the United States by... Read More »
For two days at the end of July, NTI | bio organized a virtual workshop of more than 40 international participants to address the possibility of developing a new Joint Assessment Mechanism to plug gaps in global biosecurity laid bare by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally proposed by NTI... Read More »
A new partnership announced last week between Integrum Scientific and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will advance progress toward a Rift Valley fever (RVF) vaccine by developing an international antibody standard and validation of new assays.
From now until September... Read More »
President Joe Biden approved more than $3.46 billion Thursday for Hazard Mitigation Grants to increase state’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The investment will be available for natural hazard mitigation measures across the 59 major disaster declarations issued due to the... Read More »
BARDA’s Division of Research Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) announced Thursday that it will partner with US Biologic Inc. to develop an oral vaccine for two strains of the influenza virus.
Part of BARDA DRIVe’s Beyond the Needle program, the partnership’s goal is to make vaccines and... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently partnered with a group of stakeholders to initiate the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC).
The endeavor to develop and implement cyber defense operations plans with federal interagency, private sector, and state, local,... Read More »
Following a recent local law enforcement roundtable discussion in Austin, Texas, a Republican group of representatives shared their takeaways from the meeting, focusing on an increase in violent crimes and officer effectiveness.
Since Austin cut its police budget by $150 million last year, the... Read More »
A Phase Three trial of Valneva SE’s chikungunya vaccine candidate, VLA1553, met with major success, according to topline results released last week that showed it induced protective neutralizing antibody titers in 98.5 percent of subjects after a single vaccination.
The trial involved 4,115... Read More »
