Research
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines how federal agencies use infectious disease modeling to fight outbreaks and what can be done to improve them.
The report, titled “Infectious Disease Modeling: Opportunities to Improve Coordination and Ensure... Read More »
As part of a validation study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publicly posted test performance data from four antibody test kits this week.
This independent performance validation effort is being undertaken alongside the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute... 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the process of developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
The United States government is funding multiple efforts to develop vaccines. GAO said it is an expensive, lengthy process that involves a series of steps first to identify... Read More »
Merck announced a series of actions against COVID-19 this week, joining the fight against the global pandemic through two agreements that further potential vaccines against its viral source, SARS-CoV-2, and a research collaboration intended to create a novel antiviral candidate.
“With our... Read More »
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate created by Novavax, Inc. and supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) began clinical trials this week, with the enrollment of participants in a Phase 1/2 study.
The vaccine in question is called NVX-CoV2373, a stable, prefusion protein... Read More »
A preliminary report on data from the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week, showed positive potential for remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19.
The randomized, controlled trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and... Read More »
It is past time for a national COVID-19 vaccine plan from the Trump administration, according to House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders so that the country can plan for development, manufacturing, distribution, training, and education linked to these efforts, along with broad vaccine... Read More »
A group of Republican senators introduced legislation requires national security evaluation and clearance for all Chinese student visa holders taking part in activities related to COVID-19 vaccine research.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Protection Act – sponsored by Sens. Martha McSally (R-AZ), Rick... Read More »
Through its COVID-Local site, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has released a guide of new metrics meant to guide local leaders and state officials in safely reopening the United States.
The site now includes interactive graphics and downloadable PDFs, meant to aid assessment of existing... Read More »
Recognizing the dangers presented by COVID-19 to the elderly and immunocompromised in particular, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has partnered with VitalConnect to create a wearable monitor that could provide early warning signs and improve patient... Read More »
Mount Sinai Health System and Renalytix AI have formed Kantaro Biosciences, LLC, as a means of developing, producing, and distributing a COVID-19 testing kit based on Mount Sinai’s high-performance serologic assay for antibodies.
The test kits hunt for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and are usable in... Read More »
A pair of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers are part of a three-institution team funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to further develop a tularemia vaccine.
Nick Fischer and Amy Rasley will collaborate with University of New Mexico and Tulane National... Read More »
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins co-wrote an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that a swift, coordinated effort across many sectors of society is necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The article – co-written by Collins and... Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding $11 billion in funding to support COVID-19 testing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide $10.25 billion to states, territories, and local jurisdictions through its Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for... Read More »
In an effort to counter potential medical shortages, the United States federal government has awarded $354 million to the Phlow Corporation, with an eye on advanced manufacturing of essential medicines.
In all, that contract could stretch up to $812 million, thanks to a four-year base award of... Read More »
The Trump administration appointed last week Dr. Moncef Slaoui and U.S. Army General Gustave F. Perna to lead the advancement of Operation Warp Speed, a program to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 medical countermeasures.
Slaoui, a former Chairman of both... Read More »
Research conducted last month by scientists from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Oxford showed promise for the investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, at least when used on rhesus macaques.
The vaccine, which was created by the University of Oxford Jenner... Read More »
The leaders of Costa Rica and Chile, working with the World Health Organization (WHO), are spearheading an effort to create a technology platform that aims to lift access barriers to effective vaccines, medicines, and other health products against COVID-19.
“Our proposal relies on... Read More »
A bipartisan group of Senators introduced May 15 legislation designed to strengthen the nation’s bioeconomy.
The Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2020 seeks to advance research and development, advance biomanufacturing, develop the future bioeconomy workforce, and support various... Read More »
