News
FDA approves Immazeb as first treatment for Ebola virus
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a major medical breakthrough this week, approving Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to produce Inmazeb, the first treatment for Ebola virus infections to reach that point. Inmazeb is a mix of three monoclonal antibodies, which work by targeting the... Read More »
NIAID to conduct study evaluating COVID-19 therapies, drugs
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) launched a study to determine whether certain approved therapies or investigational drugs show promise against COVID-19. The ACTIV-5 Big Effect Trial is being conducted in partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s... Read More »
Reps. McCarthy, Schweikert applaud NIAID for Valley Fever research initiative
U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-CA) commended the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) for establishing a research initiative to treat and prevent Valley Fever. The NIAID recently issued a notice of funding opportunity to establish a... Read More »
Sen. Collins addresses funding of LymeX initiative
Sen. Susan Collins (D-ME) recently addressed the new $25 million LymeX initiative, which was announced this week in partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Stephen and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. LymeX is the largest public-private partnership to combat Lyme... Read More »
Rep. Cicilline urges Pompeo to address growing online anti-Semitic trends
Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-RI) has requested Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to acknowledge combatting online anti-Semitism addresses movements domestically and across the globe during next week's State Department conference. “Anti-Semitic cyberhate is a serious global challenge, and we must... Read More »
BARDA, DoD award $481M to Cue Health for COVID-19 molecular test production expansion
A $481 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Department of Defense (DoD) this week will help Cue Health, Inc. expand the production capacity of a cartridge-based point-of-care molecular test for COVID-19. With the fund injection, Cue aims to... Read More »
HHS, DoD offer Cytiva $31M to expand manufacturing capacity of COVID-19 vaccine components
Massachusetts-based Cytiva will partner with the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) to expand its manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccine components and aid the federal Operation Warp Speed. Operation Warp Speed is focused on bending U.S.-based... Read More »
FDA Commissioner maps out route to request COVID-19 vaccine approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued guidance to provide sponsors, or vaccine makers, with information on requesting an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines. The October guidance, which complements June guidance issued by the agency, specifically... Read More »
DHS awards five start-ups funding through Silicon Valley Innovation Program
Five companies have received funding through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Silicon Valley Innovation Program regarding blockchain utilization and distributed ledger technology (DLT). Authorities indicated the five use cases support the... Read More »
Bill targets enhanced natural disaster protections
Reps. Katie Porter (D-CA) and Garret Graves (R-LA) introduced last week a measure designed to standardize natural disaster research as a means of enhancing protection efforts. The Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act would create an independent board to review the underlying causes of natural... Read More »
HHS , DoD expand partnership with AstraZeneca to develop, manufacture COVID-19 antibody treatment
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) announced greater collaboration with AstraZeneca last week, specifically aimed at the late-stage development and manufacturing of its COVID-19 treatment, AZD7442. AZD7442 is a drug cocktail made up of two monoclonal... Read More »
Public-private partnership between HHS, Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation yields $25M LymeX innovation accelerator
At the virtual LymeMIND conference last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation announced they would partner on a $25 million endeavor known as the LymeX Innovation Accelerator. LymeX will be the largest Lyme disease-focused... Read More »
House Energy and Commerce leaders seek GAO review of HHS’s cybersecurity
Congressional leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking a review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of cybersecurity incident response capabilities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The E&C leaders said the HHS needs to be able to manage... Read More »
New Jersey lawmakers asks FBI director to increase federal response to white nationalists groups
U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), along with other congressional representatives from New Jersey, are urging the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to increase the federal response related to white nationalist groups in their state. The lawmakers said they have seen... Read More »
Justice Department sets new policy governing the purchase of foreign-made drones
The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has revised its policy governing the award of grants to purchase foreign-made Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The revised policy requires grant recipients to use OJP funds to procure and operate UAS only in a manner that promotes... Read More »
Defense Department awards $600M for 5G testing at military bases
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $600 million for 5G experimentation and testing at five U.S. military test sites. The test sites include Hill Air Force Base in Utah; Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington; Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Georgia; Naval Base San Diego in California;... Read More »
DARPA details RACER initiative
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) personnel are espousing the benefits of the department’s DARPA’s Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program. Authorities said RACER seeks to ensure algorithms are not the limiting part of the system and... Read More »RAND report warns of likely Russian attempts to sow discord in U.S. presidential election by social media
Election interference has sounded many alarms this year, all the way to the White House and the halls of Congress. Now, the Rand Corporation is warning that a coordinated effort on Twitter to influence and provoke chaos during the upcoming presidential election is underway. “Social media has... Read More »
BARDA partners with Current Health for remote, wearable COVID-19 monitoring support
Under a new partnership, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will collaborate with Current Health to develop an algorithm based on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved wearable monitor to predict the need for COVID-19 hospitalization. By forecasting the... Read More »
Coast Guard Cutter returns to Oregon port
Coast Guard officials said the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast crew recently returned to its homeport in Astoria, Ore., after a 57-day eastern Pacific Ocean counter-narcotics patrol. Authorities said the mission included the deployment of an aviation detachment from Helicopter Interdiction Tactical... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions product chosen for new NIH clinical COVID-19 trial
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is one of four companies collaborating to provide hyperimmune globulin products for a new federal clinical trial that will test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a combination treatment regimen for COVID-19. The regimen consists of the antiviral remdesivir plus... Read More »
Sens. Tillis, Blackburn introduce bill to combat foreign threats to steal COVID-19 research
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill that would give the president the authority to sanction foreign nations that try to steal American research on COVID-19. The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act authorizes sanctions that would specifically target a... Read More »
New committee forms in Washington to improve pandemic preparedness
Lawmakers and public health officials, along with officials from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, have launched the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Pandemic Preparedness & Health Security. This nonpartisan group will convene educational... Read More »
Space Force satellite passes initial design review
U.S. Space Force personnel said the agency’s Boeing-developed Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)-11+ communications satellite successfully completed its first major engineering design review. “Completing this engineering design review is a key milestone and brings us one step closer to delivering... Read More »
DHS expands first responders technology assessment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T’s) Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) has initiated an effort to perform third-party first responder equipment assessments. The Department of Interior laboratory in Denver, Colorado, would... Read More »Democrats blast HHS for allowing lab-developed COVID-19 tests to market without FDA review
Recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had overruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow COVID-19 lab-developed tests to come to market without FDA review was met by major warnings from House Democrats this week. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar,... Read More »
Cepheid gains federal support for single, rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19, influenza and RSV
A new test being developed by molecular diagnostics company Cepheid gained support from federal agencies this week, on the promise that it could become a one-stop-shop for diagnosing COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. Support is coming from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority... Read More »
DHS proposes rule to enhance the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an interim final rule designed to strengthen the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program for U.S. workers. The H-1B program was designed to allow employers to fill gaps in their workforce; however, it has now expanded far beyond that, often to the... Read More »
DHS releases Homeland Threat Assessment report
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its Homeland Threat Assessment (HTA) – a report that synthesizes threat information across DHS, including intelligence and operational components. “This HTA is as close as the American people will get to seeing and understanding the... Read More »
ATCC secures BARDA clinical studies contract
Biological materials management and standards organization ATCC has secured a potential 10-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The agreement, which possesses a ceiling value of $250 million,... Read More »
Lawmakers seek assurances on continued immunization efforts
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, seeking continued immunization efforts. Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tina... Read More »
BARDA, Vaxxas reach $22M agreement for phase 1 trials of needle-free vaccine technology
Over the course of three years, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will pay approximately $22 million to Vaxxas to fund phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. and Australia for a high-density microarray patch capable of administering vaccines needle-free. This comes... Read More »
NIH awards $98.35M in RADx contracts for six COVID-19 testing technologies
A joint effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) brought $98.35 million to COVID-19 testing efforts this week, as part of six contracts awarded under the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. The... Read More »
DHS develops new technology to secure apps from cyber attackers
A new technology called Trusted Mobile System (TrustMS) developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is designed to secure apps from cyber attackers. TrustMS, developed by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Intelligent... Read More »