Research
The Chinese government is investing more than the United States in the use of non-human primates as laboratory models for deadly infectious disease research, according to expert testimony delivered on Tuesday during a meeting of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense.
Jay Rappaport, director... Read More »
With the danger of African swine fever growing each year -- and now poised to spread into Asia -- experts at Kansas State University and the Biosecurity Research Institute are taking notice and taking action to keep it from infecting the United States as well.
African swine fever is a... Read More »
Experts in the areas of nuclear and radiological emergencies convened at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) symposium this week to discuss ways to communicate during such emergencies effectively.
"Communication is a challenge that we all face together," Juan Carlos Lentijo, deputy... Read More »
A recently published House Homeland Security Committee report highlighted the scope of ISIS external operations against Western countries, as well as other terrorist incidents inspired by the group.
The Committee has been tracking terrorist activity linked to ISIS since the group’s formation,... Read More »
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston recently developed a cheaper way to create vaccines without sacrificing their safety or effectiveness.
The way forward focuses on cost-cutting in both storage and production. Traditionally, many vaccines are... Read More »
The University of Montana is responsible for the creation of a new universal flu vaccine, under a five-year, $10 million contract awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The award was granted to Jay Evans, director of UM’s Center for Translational Medicine, who will be joined by... Read More »
Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands and Keio University in Japan are currently exploring infectious disease test alternatives through the use of a special glowing paper strip, a drop of blood, and a digital camera.
The study, published in the journal... Read More »
A study conducted by New York University confirmed that text messages are a rapid means of information spread amidst public health crises, representing an invaluable means of data sourcing.
"Sourcing data from individuals directly, such as through mobile phones, has the potential to provide... Read More »
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced this week that it would take part in an experimental treatment for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) currently being pursued by international cooperation.
Their involvement focuses on ZMapp, a treatment that utilizes three antibodies as part of its... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is researching the detection and prevention of homemade explosives at various labs and test facilities across the country.
DHS reports that there are approximately 3,000 improvised explosive device (IED) incidents in... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Human and Human Services (DHHS) has contracted with the company Genentech in managing and sharing the cost to develop a portfolio of medical treatments designed to counter the spread of influenza and other health security threats.
DHHS, operating through its Biomedical... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) selected BAE Systems this week for a new research and development contract to address current and future technology needs among the military.
In so doing, DOD has also put Bae Systems in the running for future contract task orders -- one of 15 companies to... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is sponsoring Siga Technologies on its development of an intravenous formulation of TPOXX -- a smallpox antiviral medication of which DHHS is currently purchasing additional doses.
“We want to save as many lives as possible after a... Read More »
Two institutions are taking up the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) call for more affordable, improved and adapted antibiotic formulations for children in low and middle-income countries, with an agreement focused on enhancing generic antibiotics and access.
The participants are the... Read More »
Whether for search and rescue or warfare operations, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced last week their efforts to advance current understanding of underground environments, and the formation of a competition of nine teams to do so.
The recently selected teams... Read More »
In 2015 it was discovered that a U.S. laboratory spent more than a decade inadvertently sending the bacteria that causes anthrax to 194 laboratories worldwide.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has recently released its findings regarding how effective the U.S. Department of Defense has... Read More »
A recently released Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) report suggests nuclear weapons and related systems are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks and implores nuclear-armed states to take measures to prevent attacks.
“Nuclear Weapons in the New CyberAge: A Report of the Cyber-Nuclear Weapons... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) introduced new technology designed to protect first responders at incident scenes by alerting them to potentially hazardous motorists.
The Automated Driver and Responder Alert System (ADRAS) has two main components... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) unveiled a new partnership with SeLux Diagnostic, Inc. this week with the goal of developing faster tests for bacterial infection identification and matching those individual infections with appropriate antibiotics.
The Biomedical Advanced... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is teaming up with Israeli company MediWound Ltd. in the creation of a new treatment of skin injuries resulting from exposure to sulfur mustard.
Sulfur mustard, more commonly known as mustard gas, has seen devastating use since World War I,... Read More »
Fiji is subjected to a smallpox outbreak where social norms breakdown and medical experts scramble to get the outbreak under control.
This wasn’t reality, but it was the simulation exercise for participants of a workshop held last month at the University of New South Wales Sydney. The event... Read More »
During the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Sept. 25, Alex Azar, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary, will call on world leaders to address the evolving threat of antibiotic resistance.
Failure to prepare for and reverse antibiotic resistance could lead to... Read More »
Researchers from Harvard University urged government officials this week to develop new measures to detect and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, like dengue fever, in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In a report published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the researchers --... Read More »
As part of an effort to counter multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and the TB Alliance are collaborating -- with monetary support from the Medical Research Council (MRC) -- to investigate new combination TB therapies.
A £1 million ($1.3... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has made a series of recommendations for evolution within the Department of Homeland Security, better defining its roles and responsibilities to make it less of a risk due to lack of cohesiveness.
Efficacy is a huge issue within the department. DHS’... Read More »
Researchers from Imperial College London are taking a new tack in the battle against malaria, focusing on
the compounds that could prevent malaria parasites from being able to infect mosquitoes, halting the spread of disease.
As a disease delivery system, mosquitoes are infamous, but... Read More »
BAE Systems sealed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to begin transitioning military-developed semiconductor technology to their Advanced Microwave Products (AMP) Center for enhancement and cost-cutting.
The U.S. Air Force created gallium Nitride (GaN)... Read More »
A Phase 1 trial is underway for a new nasal flu vaccination designed for ages 9 to 17 years old.
Testing is taking place at Saint Louis University, with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Unlike traditional flu vaccines, which must be reformulated... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has developed an online tool to help security professionals for commercial office buildings perform assessments.
The web-based tool streamlines from the application process for building owners applying for... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) provide funding estimates for its mandated nuclear proliferation plan.
A federal law introduced in 2015 and 2017 directed the President to submit a proliferation plan to Congress. A... Read More »
A new test, according to information presented to the European Respiratory Society International Congress, can identify viral infections in just 50 minutes -- something that could save hospitals approximately €2,500 ($2922) per patient prevented from requiring admission.
The other advantage of... Read More »
A research team has uncovered how W protein -- a viral protein that factors into both Nipah and Hendra virus infections -- targets critical cell functions, leading to suppression of immune responses and spreading of these viruses.
W protein binds to proteins in the host cells and allows for... Read More »
Tuberculosis (TB) has been successfully treated in animals utilizing a non-antibiotic drug, according to scientists at the University of Manchester.
The success makes the drug the first non-antibiotic to successfully treat TB -- a disease that kills around 1.7 million people worldwide each year.... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in conjunction with the Duke University School of Medicine, has begun enrolling for a Phase 1 clinical trial of a new antimalarial drug and its efficacy in humans.
This early stage trial is being led by Dr. Michael... Read More »
At a meeting of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) Joint Working Group in Seoul earlier this summer, experts announced their intentions to take ideas for the nuclear dismantlement lifecycle into exercises and technology demonstrations.
This second phase is... Read More »
