Research
Dosing of the first volunteers for a Phase 1b clinical trial of Ebola vaccine candidate INO-4201 began this week to assess whether the vaccine could function as a booster for healthy, previously vaccinated patients.
The latest study followed positive results from pre-clinical and Phase 1 trials... Read More »
The United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) gained access to Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment candidate PF-07321332 this week, enabling the organization to produce and distribute the drug to generic sub-licensers for greater global access.
MPP intends to increase... Read More »
Northrop Grumman recently attained a Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) first-stage solid rocket motor manufacturing milestone by successfully executing the first insulation and case wind processes.
“Working closely with the Air Force and nationwide team of industry partners, we continue... Read More »
National Security Agency (NSA) recently announced a partnership with the National Cryptologic Foundation to strengthen domestic cybersecurity education and cybersecurity job possibilities.
The collaboration is expected to promote a deeper understanding of prior domestic cryptologic successes;... Read More »
Data from the latest global survey on implementation of the Global Action Plan on addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) showed that more countries than ever are determined to fight AMR, but also major setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 163 countries that responded to the survey... Read More »
With approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now in hand, INOVIO intends to proceed with a Phase 3 segment of its INNOVATE trial for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate INO-4800 in the United States.
Authorization followed a partial clinical hold on the candidate, while the FDA... Read More »
For at least eight months following a single dose, the REGEN-COV COVID-19 drug cocktail developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. could provide affiliated risk reductions of 81.6 percent, according to a new analysis of a Phrase 3 trial.
That trial, jointly run by Regeneron and the National... Read More »
Reckoning with the more the 750,000 Americans killed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the failures that stalked response, and the threat of future outbreaks, a bipartisan collection of four senators introduced a new bill last week to build a 9/11-style commission charged with investigating the outbreak... Read More »
Interim data from Pfizer Inc.’s novel COVID-19 antiviral candidate, PAXLOVID, revealed an oral treatment with the ability to cut the risk of hospitalization and death by as much as 89 percent among adult patients.
These results, pulled from the randomized Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR (Evaluation of... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued guidance to prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities presently actively exploited by adversaries.
Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01 - Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities establishes a... Read More »
The antiviral Molnupiravir became the first oral treatment for COVID-19 to receive authorization this week, winning approval from the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases in adults.
Specifically, users must have had at... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) made its eighth emergency use listing (EUL) for a COVID-19 vaccine this week, granting that honor to Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN.
COVAXIN is formulated from an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- antigen. Use of the vaccine by adults was... Read More »
As world leaders gather in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, a new global partnership has formed to focus on the impact of climate change on terrorism, the group said Tuesday.
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), Pool Re... Read More »
A Q2 Solutions Co., Ltd. lab facility in Beijing, China, became the first East Asian lab to join the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ (CEPI) centralized COVID-19 lab network this week.
“I am delighted to today welcome Q2 Solutions’ facility in Beijing to this group of... Read More »
The failures, successes, and lessons learned from the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines should be incorporated immediately into future pandemic vaccine planning if the world hopes to avoid the delays and pitfalls of the modern ecosystem, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) said two inventors within the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) have received remote alarm patents.
Electronics engineer Norman Chiu and physicist Paul Goldhagen were granted U.S. Patent... Read More »
A new partnership between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and RIVANNA seeks to develop the company’s Accuro XV device for the release of a portable 3D fracture detection and diagnosis system without radiation.
The rapid-working system is based on ultrasound... Read More »
In collaboration with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) SIGMA+ program announced Friday it had recently concluded a three-month-long pilot study of sensors intended to support early detection of weapons of mass... Read More »
Reckoning with the threat of diseases present and future, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a new collaboration last week with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to develop and win approval for diagnostics capable of identifying COVID-19, influenza, as... Read More »
According to a new report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), the world is broken in its inequality, division, and lack of accountability, making a health emergency ecosystem incapable of ending the COVID-19 pandemic or preventing another.
The opportunity for reform is... Read More »
Biotechnology company INOVIO finished enrollment for a West Africa-based Phase 1B clinical trial of INO-4500, its DNA vaccine candidate for Lassa Fever, this week.
A full complement of 220 participants will participate in this first trial for a Lassa fever vaccine in West Africa. The area was... Read More »
According to top line data from a Phase 2/3 study of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine among children ages 6-11, released this week, the company determined that two doses given a month apart produced a strong antibody response -- stronger, even, than those seen in adults.
Conducted in collaboration... Read More »
Novartis officials said the company has established an agreement leveraging its manufacturing capacity and capabilities to address the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine support.
The agreement targets the fill and finish of more than 50 million doses in 2021 at the Novartis... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced it had joined the international Human Vaccines Project (HVP) Thursday, bringing its expertise and computing resources to the project to aid the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine and to improve understanding of immune response.... Read More »
Recognizing the delays that have plagued low-income countries at nearly every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced this week a pledge of up to $120 million to accelerate access to the antiviral drug molnupiravir among low-income nations.
Molnupiravir is... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a new solicitation this week for the development of rapid and affordable at-home SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics, as well as supportive technologies to further more widespread, decentralized testing for COVID-19.
In reaching... Read More »
In a new position paper, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the setbacks and failures faced worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted seven means for nations to begin building a more resilient and secure health system.
These recommendations include:
Utilizing... Read More »
Results arrived this week for a Phase 3 trial of Valneva SE’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001, and they revealed neutralizing antibody activity greater than 95 percent, along with broad T-cell responses and significant tolerability.
It was reported that the inactivated, adjuvanted vaccine... Read More »
A joint cybersecurity advisory (CSA) from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Security Agency (NSA) has detailed an ongoing cyber threat to the U.S. Water and Wastewater... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week that tuberculosis (TB) deaths rose for the first time in more than a decade as COVID-19 continues to impact the world.
According to WHO, approximately 1.5 million people died as a result of TB in 2020. The organization noted that fewer... Read More »
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced it would be joining several agencies in New York City to conduct above-ground and below-ground air sampling studies.
The studies will help urban areas prepare for and recover from... Read More »
Following two successful Phase 3 trials of more than 6,000 patients, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week accepted the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. anti-COVID-19 cocktail known as REGEN-COV for priority review.
REGEN-COV is a mix of the antibodies casirivimab and... Read More »
The all-star team of government officials, scientists and industry executives who tackled COVID-19 made great strides in the development of an effective vaccine against the novel virus, but that is no guarantee that the United States will be ready for the next pandemic that rears its head, speakers... Read More »
A newly released Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health report has detailed recommended federal policy changes regarding masks and respirators.
The report, Masks and Respirators for the 21st Century: Policy Changes Needed to Save Lives and Prevent... Read More »
Nerve agent poisoning can result in a quick death, causing the central and peripheral nervous systems to shut down. For those fortunate enough to receive medical care and survive exposure, long-lasting side effects are probable, including seizures, extreme muscle spasms, and diminished mental... Read More »