CEPI invests in 11th COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Bio E from India
CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is collaborating with an India-based pharmaceutical company to develop a COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate. The partnership is with Biological E Limited, or Bio E, a Hyderabad-based vaccine and pharmaceutical company. CEPI will... Read More »
Colorado State Lab confirms first case of UK COVID-19 variant in United States
The first U.S. case of a new strain of COVID-19 that originated in the U.K. has been confirmed in Colorado’s Elbert County, according to the Colorado State Laboratory. The variant has cropped up in numerous locations throughout the world since its recent discovery -- and rapid spread -- in the... Read More »
DoD funds Emergent, Mount Sinai joint effort to evaluate COVID-19 Human Hyperimmune Globulin
Emergent BioSolutions and Mount Sinai Health System began a program to evaluate Emergent’s COVID-19 Human Hyperimmune Globulin (COVID-HIG) candidate for phase one trials of its preventative capabilities among individuals at high risk of exposure. “Emergent is pleased to partner with Mount... Read More »
Congress passes REAL ID Modernization Act
The U.S. Congress has passed the REAL ID Modernization Act, which updates identification requirements set 15 years ago by the 9/11 Commission. “This new law marks another important step toward meeting the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to close dangerous vulnerabilities to terrorist... Read More »
Bill to help local governments thwart cyberthreats signed into law
A provision to encourage local governments to adopt the .gov domain for websites and email accounts was signed into law as a part of the year-end omnibus funding bill. The provision was originally introduced as the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act. It directs the Department of Homeland of... Read More »
Lockheed Martin touts F-35 aircraft delivery initiatives
Lockheed Martin personnel are touting the company's ability to produce and deliver F-35 aircraft amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm recently delivered the 123rd F-35 aircraft of the year. In 2020, 74 F-35s were delivered to the U.S. military, 31 to international partner nations, and 18 to... Read More »
Yuma Sector Border Patrol names new chief patrol agent
Chris T. Clem has been named Yuma Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent, bringing 25 years of Border Patrol experience to the post. Authorities noted Clem’s career includes a variety of leadership roles involving serving as senior patrol agent, supervisory border patrol agent, field operations... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration submits 2021 stockpile stewardship, management plan to Congress
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) delivered its 2021 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) to Congress this week, laying out a specific path to producing 80 plutonium pits annually and delivering first-time production units for various programs. The... Read More »Novavax begins enrolling up to 30,000 volunteers for Phase Three trial of COVID-19 vaccine
In an effort funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Novavax, Inc. has begun enrolling volunteers for a phase three trial of NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Volunteers can be... Read More »International law enforcement officials take down VPN used by cybercriminals
Law enforcement officials in the United States and worldwide have taken down a virtual private network (VPN) called “Operation Nova” that had been allegedly assisting cybercriminals. United States Attorney Matthew Schneider said the investigation revealed three domains— INSORG.ORG;... Read More »
Rep. Maloney, Sen. Markey applaud inclusion of funding for gun violence research
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) applauded the inclusion of $25 million in the 2021 budget federal gun violence prevention research. It builds on $25 million in funding inlude3d in the budget last year for research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.... Read More »
ICE notes operational successes in 2020 annual report
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials noted operational successes within its fiscal year 2020 annual report, focusing on immigration laws enforcement and customs and immigration violation investigations. “The men and women who represent ICE have risen to the challenges presented... Read More »
Northrop Grumman secures Navy vehicles contract
Navy officials said the service branch has awarded a $57 million award potentially worth up to $250 million to Northrop Grumman to produce Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles. The initial 19 vehicles could result in an additional 84 target vehicles, bringing the GQM-163A... Read More »
Soligenix wins $1.5M NIAID award to support COVID-19, Ebola vaccine development
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $1.5 million grant to Soligenix, Inc. last week to aid manufacture, formulation, and characterization of COVID-19 and ebola virus disease vaccine candidates. All will be pursued in conjunction with the CoVaccine HT... Read More »