Federal government needs to strengthen its approach to terrorism, expert says
The federal government needs to take a public-health approach for at-risk individuals and strengthen partnerships with civilian researchers to combat the rise of violent far-right terrorism, according to William Braniff, a terrorism expert. Braniff recently testified to the U.S. Senate Committee... Read More »
BARDA awards contract to BioFactura for smallpox treatment
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded a $67 million contract to BioFactura for the advanced development of its Smallpox Biodefense Therapeutic to treat smallpox. While smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, the threat of bioterrorism remains. To fill the... Read More »
DHS S&T awards contract for blockchain security development
Vienna, Austria-based Danube Tech GmbH has secured a $143,478 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) contract to develop blockchain security technology. The award is funded through S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) Other Transaction... Read More »
CBP initiates facial recognition technology at Detroit Metro Airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has initiated Simplified Arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) as a means of modernizing international arrivals by matching travelers to documents using face comparison technology. CBP is committed to implementing an integrated biometric... Read More »
NIH awards three contracts for tuberculosis vaccine research
Under a $30 million contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), three institutions have been selected to create new centers of immunology research to advance tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development. The three... Read More »
Sen. Grassley unveils bipartisan bill to bolster security oversight of EB-5 investor program
On the heels of new regulations issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updating the EB-5 visa program that go into effect on Nov. 21, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Tuesday proposed a bipartisan bill that would expand the authority of the U.S. Department of Homeland... Read More »
New report assesses world’s ability to protect itself from health emergencies
A new report issued by leaders in international health says the world may face great risk from pathogens, including a rapidly moving, highly lethal pandemic projected to kill 50 to 80 million people and wiping out nearly 5 percent of the world’s economy. High-impact respiratory pathogens, such... Read More »
Florida lawmakers advocate fighter jet basing
A group of Florida lawmakers recently urged the Air Force to consider the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing for the next series of F-35 basing decisions. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was joined by Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Michael Waltz (R-FL) and Mario... Read More »
Senate advances bill bolstering cybersecurity in public, private sector
The U.S. Senate advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) designed to enhance cybersecurity in the public and private sector. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act requires DHS to establish... Read More »
HHS Secretary Azar co-hosts Ebola preparedness and response discussion at UN General Assembly
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar co-hosted Wednesday the “Meeting of Regional Ministers of Health on Ebola Preparedness and Response” during the 74th United Nations General Assembly. Foremost on the ministers’ minds were the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the... Read More »
New Chikungunya vaccine requires no refrigeration
Scientists may have changed the way Chikungunya vaccines can be designed, produced, and stored, with the creation of a new type of synthetic vaccine that can be stored at warmer temperatures without the need for refrigeration. The results of the vaccine study, published in Science Advances... Read More »
Cybersecurity bill advances through House committee
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee recently advanced legislation that would establish a cybersecurity advisory committee to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Committee. The goal of the advisory committee would be to advise and consult the director as well as... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions receives DoD funding for auto-injector
The Department of Defense’s Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) awarded $20 million to Emergent BioSolutions Inc. for the development of an auto-injector to treat nerve agent-induced seizures. The device, which will contain diazepam (5 mg/mL), is being designed for intramuscular... Read More »
Colorado law enforcement personnel attend darknet training course
Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center and the Illicit Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit recently taught a darknet training course to more than 100 local and state law enforcement personnel in Colorado. The goal was to provide information on darknet... Read More »