Research
A manganese-based peptide antioxidant of Deinococcus combined with radiation was shown to be a promising step in developing a vaccine to counter both the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV) and Chikungunya virus, according to a recent study conducted by the Uniformed Services University... Read More »
Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are significantly worse vectors for transmitting dengue fever, however, the means in which spread is established and continued among urban mosquito populations remains unclear, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Davis... Read More »
A new mask that provides individual respiratory, eye, and skin protection from various chemical and biological warfare agents, including radiological particulates, for pilots and aircrew recently underwent testing at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) facilities at Maryland's Aberdeen... Read More »
According to a thesis published recently by Lund University in Sweden, it may be possible to analyze mobile phones and other objects that come into close contact with the body to determine if an individual has been exposed to a radioactive substance.
The thesis stems from concerns that a large... Read More »
The Ebola virus harms the body’s natural defenses by binding directly to white blood cells, which expedites the virus’ lethal effects, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), the University of Washington, and the National... Read More »
In the weeks since AT&T was awarded a contract to develop the first nationwide broadband network for first responders, FirstNet has since been begun the process of providing each state governor with a notice of completion for the request for proposal process.
While AT&T was awarded with the... Read More »
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes may also transmit other flaviviruses like Zika virus, chikungunya, and dengue fever within the course of one bite in a process called coinfection, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU).
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known... Read More »
A group of scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) were recently recognized with the Secretary of Energy’s Appreciation Award for their contributions in the response efforts to the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015.
Katrina Waters, Mary Lancaster, Mike Spradling,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), recently announced the availability of $6 million in funding for research in combating antimicrobial resistance.
The funds were authorized as part of the the 2014 Farm Bill and will be... Read More »
The results of two recent studies of Dartmouth University’s investigational tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, DAR-901, have expedited the vaccine’s acceptance for use in an upcoming randomized trial to determine if it can prevent the earliest stages of infection.
The inactivated vaccine is... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently adopted and published a recommendation made by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), concerning the use of PaxVax’s cholera vaccine, Vaxchora.
The recommendation, which was unanimously approved by the CDC’s... Read More »
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti recently visited Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to hold a meeting with the country’s national authorities to discuss an effective response plan in regards to the recently-verified outbreak of... Read More »
A team of scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently began an initiative on developing technologies to detect trace amount of fentanyl, heroin, and other substances to help prevent accidental exposure for law enforcement.
Through a research paper... Read More »
Mosquito-borne viruses, such as Zika, dengue, and chikungunya, are being transmitted at lower temperatures than previously believed, according to a recent study published by researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) and Stanford University.
The study, which was published in a recent... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued a statement of public support last week for the recent congressional passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which helps support a variety of infectious disease programs for public health benefit in the United States and... Read More »
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) recently described 10 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) enzymes that have “Pac-Man-like” behaviors that chew up RNA, which could be used to detect infectious viruses.
Each enzyme is a... Read More »
Independent testing of approximately three dozen biodetection products was recently conducted by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in order to evaluate their effectiveness in detecting biothreat agents like anthrax and ricin for first responders.
The independent... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), in conjunction with the California Department of Public Health and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, recently held a radiological security workshop May 2-3 to discuss radiological materials and ways to reduce the risks they pose.
The... Read More »
A computer model to assess the impact of a Zika virus epidemic in the United States, taking into account important data such as population dynamics, historical infection rates, socioeconomic status and mosquito density, was recently developed by researchers from the University of Texas (UT) at... Read More »
An international team scientists recently determined the three-dimensional (3-D) atomic structure of more than 1,000 proteins that are viewed as potential drug and vaccine targets, helping researchers develop new treatments to combat some of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases.
Each... Read More »
A recent computational analysis revealed that even a mild outbreak of Zika virus in the United States could cost more than $183 million in medical expenses and productivity losses, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Results of the study were published... Read More »
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) recently awarded a $35 million contract to Engility Holdings, Inc. to provide specialized advisory services to the organization’s Nuclear Enterprise Support Directorate.
The Cost Plus Fixed Fee contract has a one year base period and four one-year... Read More »
Drugs that activate a cell’s pathways to inhibit the replication of pathogens were revealed in a recent study to be a promising approach to treating dangerous infections caused by Zika virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya.
The study was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health and Science... Read More »
Officials from the United States recently announced a pledge of $1.091 million (€1 million) to modernize the laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Siebersdorf, Austria, which provide key nuclear research in various areas of human and animal health, food security, and... Read More »
On his first day as the new director of Sandia National Laboratories, Steve Younger stated in a speech to the lab’s workforce that it would maintain its strong missions in nuclear deterrence, nuclear nonproliferation, energy, and national security.
“I see those continuing. However, are in... Read More »
The Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens (CPTR), a division of the Critical Path Institute (C-Path), was recently awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance its Relational Sequencing TB Data Platform (ReSeqTB), which seeks to improve global tuberculosis (TB)... Read More »
According to a recent report by researchers from the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, daily platelet counts in children experiencing the early stages of dengue virus infection can help predict those at risk of dengue shock syndrome (DSS).
The study followed 2,301 children... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate recently entered into a partnership with Asymmetric Technologies worth $199,814.31 to enhance small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) within Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP said its use of sUAS... Read More »
A new global coalition is laying the groundwork to achieve an ambitious goal of speeding up the development of vaccines to combat the spread of deadly emerging infectious diseases that pose great risk to public health.
Launched in January, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations... Read More »
Rockwell Collins was recently selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to apply its mathematics-based development processes to protect DARPA defense platforms against potential cyberattacks.
Rockwell Collins’ methods were developed in conjunction with DARPA’s High... Read More »
According to a report recently published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most-reported bacteria causing foodborne illnesses in America last year were Campylobacter and Salmonella.
Data was gathered through the CDC’s Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance... Read More »
In continuing its ongoing efforts into malaria research, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently announced $9 million in first-year funding for seven malaria research centers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The seven-year awards are a continuance of... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently recognized Sandia National Laboratories for its efforts in combating the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa.
To address issues facing West African patients during the epidemic, Sandia researchers examined Liberia’s blood... Read More »
SIGA Technologies, Inc. recently completed its enrollment and dosing of healthy individuals in a Phase 1 clinical study of TPOXX, an intravenous formulation intended for the treatment of smallpox and related orthopoxvirus infections.
SIGA said the treatment is intended for patients who cannot... Read More »
Researchers specializing in anthrax bacterium Bacillus anthracis and its two related bacillus species, B. cereus and B. thurigiensis, will convene in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the International Conference on Bacillus ACT in October to present their work with more than 200 global... Read More »
