Research
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 »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) started last week a clinical trial to evaluate if a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin could treat COVID-19 in mild or moderate cases.
Adults meeting that description can express interest in participating by email.... Read More »
Another COVID-19 is being investigated for faults, resulting in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to warn people that the Abbott ID NOW point-of-care test may return inaccurate, false negative results.
The warning stems from some scientific studies that have identified... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) released this week a predictive modeling tool intended to chart the downfall of COVID-19 under natural conditions.
Specifically, the tool tracks the natural decay of SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 --... Read More »
Security screening firm Smiths Detection has introduced an ultraviolet (UVC) light kit it maintains is capable of destroying up to 99.9 percent of microorganisms present at airport security checkpoints.
Smiths Detection UVC kits automatically disinfect baggage trays as they are being transported... Read More »
Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) recently awarded up to $6.2 million to the infectious disease diagnostics firm Day Zero Diagnostics to accelerate early research of and develop treatments for superbug infections.
“There has never been a more... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced an additional $384 million investment into Novavax Inc. this week, as a means of accelerating development and manufacture of its NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
This extends ongoing collaboration between the two... Read More »
While many vaccine and treatment prospects have been put forward for dealing with COVID-19, health experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have advised in a new Science-published paper that a collaborative strategy for testing, scale-up, and distribution of candidates is... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory for its COVID-19 laboratory developed test (LDT).
The action allows the testing of samples self-collected by patients at home using the Spectrum Solutions LLC... Read More »
Remdesivir has been shown to shorten the recovery time for patients suffering from COVID-19, and as a result, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has begun a clinical trial to see how it fairs when paired with the anti-inflammatory baricitinib.
“We now have solid... Read More »
The United States’ preparedness and response capabilities have buckled under the stress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and proactive work is needed to meet the next infectious disease before it strikes, said experts during the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense May 8 virtual... Read More »
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed smart, breathable fabric designed to protect against biological and chemical warfare agents.
The material could be used by healthcare workers and first responders in clinical and medical settings as well as military... Read More »
A report from the independent, nonpartisan policy institute Center for American Progress (CAP) maintains the proposed fiscal year 2021 defense budget should more than adequately offer national security protections.
CAP officials said the analysis offers eight reasons why the $740 billion defense... Read More »
Siemens Smart Infrastructure this week released the Siveillance Thermal Shield, a product capable of rapid, contactless temperature measurement at building entry points, as a means of adding potential illness tracking to general security.
The package consists of thermal imaging cameras capable... Read More »
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health expect to shortly begin two trials of convalescent plasma – plasma taken from recovered COVID-19 patients – next week, with an eye on reducing hospital strain and helping both high-risk populations and those getting sick at... Read More »
Clinical trials on four potential vaccine candidates to prevent infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
The first U.S. patients have been dosed in a clinical trial conducted by Pfizer and BioNTech. They are being held at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of... Read More »
The search for potential COVID-19 vaccines continues, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has issued a call for proposals that could put funds in the hands of organizations with plans to boost development, manufacturing and geographic reach of vaccine candidates.
The... Read More »
Northern Arizona University researchers have developed computer modeling systems designed to predict outcomes of the regional spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
The approach is being implemented across Coconino, Navajo, Apache, and Mohave counties in response to the Flagstaff... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is collaborating with the Mayo Clinic on an expanded access program that will get patients hospitalized with COVID-19 access to convalescent plasma.
Convalescent plasma’s use is built on the idea that those who recover from... Read More »
The first American participants in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the BNT162 vaccine program, created by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, have been dosed as the companies ramp up manufacturing capabilities to meet 2020/2021 capacity needs.
That vaccine is meant to treat COVID-19, the disease that... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a national viral genomics consortium to better map the genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing for Public Health Emergency Response, Epidemiology and Surveillance (SPHERES)... Read More »
Following the results of two clinical trials for the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) last week, opening it to use as a treatment for those with severe cases of COVID-19.
“Based on evaluation of the... Read More »
A group of 14 Democratic U.S. senators is calling on Congress to include $8 billion in new funding for contact tracing to fight the COVID-19 virus.
Contact tracing is the process of tracking infected people to find out who they have been in contact with to stop the spread of the virus.... Read More »
Thanks in part to another $1.3 million of funding granted by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an agreement between INOVIO and Richter-Helm BioLogics will expand to support large-scale manufacturing of investigational COVID-19 vaccine INO-4800.
INOVIO originally made... Read More »
Several Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are urging federal government officials to take action on the recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when germs develop the ability... Read More »
A group of organizations jointly released guidance concerning mosquito-based diseases.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Special Programme for Training and Research of Tropical Diseases (TDR) and the World Health... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched the $1.5 billion Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, to infuse funding into innovative technologies aimed at speeding innovation, development, and commercialization of reliable COVID-19 tests.
Those technologies need... Read More »
Biotechnology companies Entos Pharmaceuticals and EpiVax, Inc. announced a partnership this week dedicated to the development of a pan-coronavirus DNA vaccine.
"We are excited to be working with the exceptional team at EpiVax, whose computational approach to optimizing vaccine design is second... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has released a primer regarding SARS-CoV-2 serology antibody testing, as well as the research and policy questions the effort raises.
“As serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 advances, there are multiple issues that need to be addressed, from... Read More »
The Phase 3 SIMPLE trial of Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir has reached its primary endpoint, supplying positive data that COVID-19 patients administered the drug early fared better than those treated later.
From 397 patients, the study revealed that 62 percent of patients... Read More »
