News
CBP bolsters biometric technology applications
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the agency has deployed more biometric facial comparison technology to reduce traveler contact and streamline the travel experience. Officials said, through a partnership with Los Angeles World of Airports (LAWA), Los Angeles International... Read More »
Federal officials urge family, community disaster planning
In the wake of September being National Preparedness Month (NPM), federal officials are encouraging family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. This year’s theme, "Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today," emphasizes the importance of making a plan, building a... Read More »
Roche to offer SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test to CE Mark accepting countries, apply for EUA
Roche announced this week plans to launch a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test capable of 15-minute turnarounds for markets accepting the CE Mark and file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Meant for use in point of care settings -- which allow... Read More »
HHS terminates contract with Royal Philips after delivery of only 12,300 EV300 ventilators
A contract between Royal Philips and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would have brought 43,000 bundled EV300 ventilator configurations to the Strategic National Stockpile will be terminated after fulfillment of just 12,300 this month. “To date, we have delivered on... Read More »
Vir Biotechnology, GSK doses first patient in trial for COVID-19 treatment
Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline dosed the first patient last week in a phase 2/3 study with its COVID-19 treatment. The treatment, VIR-7831, is a fully human anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody, for the early treatment of COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalization.... Read More »
Sen. Durbin urges DoD to adopt fast COVID-19 testing system
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to adopt SHIELD T3, a system of COVID-19 testing and tracing developed by the University of Illinois. SHIELD T3 provides rapid results in two to six hours at costs significantly below current alternatives. It could be used to... Read More »
Lockheed Martin secures Army contract for rocket system
Lockheed Martin has secured a contract with the U.S. Army to produce High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and associated hardware, with delivery slated for the end of 2022. HIMARS is a lightweight mobile launcher, transportable via C-130 and larger aircraft for rapid... Read More »
DoD names new director of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Department of Defense has named Victoria Coleman as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Coleman’s career spans over 30 years in academia, the private sector, and government. She previously served as DARPA’s Microsystems Exploratory Council founding chair... Read More »
BARDA, NOWDiagnostics partnership proposes rapid, over-the-counter COVID-19 test
A partnership between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and NOWDiagnostics, Inc. will produce a rapid, point of care, in vitro diagnostic test for COVID-19 known as ADEXUSDx. Based on the similarly named ADEXUSDx platform, the test proposes rapid detection of... Read More »
AstraZeneca begins phase 3 testing of COVID-19 vaccine testing in United States
The United Kingdom-based biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca launched phase 3 testing of its potential COVID-19 vaccine -- AZD1222 -- in the United States this week, with plans to enroll as many as 30,000 adult volunteers across 80 testing sites. AZD1222 was originally developed by Oxford... Read More »
Coast Guard halts illegal charters
Coast Guard officials said the service branch has halted at least five illegal charter voyages discovered across the Mid-Atlantic since July. “The recent increase of illegal charters in the Maryland National Capital Region is a serious issue. Illegal charters pose a significant hazard to life,... Read More »
Bill targets global health accountability
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure they said is designed to hold foreign nations accountable for suppressing or distorting information concerning international public health crises. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Reps. John Curtis (R-UT), Mike Gallagher... Read More »
DHS awards Synthetik $1M to support machine learning efforts in airport security
Seeking to advance explosive detection equipment, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $1 million to Synthetik Applied Technologies last week to help it develop machine learning training data for airport security. Such data simulates human travelers and baggage object models to... Read More »
Emergency use authorization for remdesivir now allows use on all COVID-19 hospitalized patients
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the drug Veklury (remdesivir) to allow its use on all hospitalized patients with suspected or lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Its use was formerly restricted by severity, but those... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore National Lab chemists prepare for proficiency exam to test chemical weapons
Chemists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will spend the next month and a half preparing for an exam that will certify the laboratory to test for chemical weapons, a task it has been certified to do since 2003. Taken in October by chemists a part of the laboratory’s... Read More »
CISA, FBI warns about North Korean cyberthreat on ATMs
Federal authorities are issuing an alert about an automated teller machine (ATM) cash-out scheme by North Korean government cyber actors. This scheme is referred to as “FASTCash 2.0: North Korea's BeagleBoyz Robbing Banks.” The alert – issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure... Read More »
Senators to introduce bill to restore full funding to National Guard
A group of Democratic senators will introduce a bill to restore full federal funding for the National Guard so it can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Aug. 3, President Donald Trump signed a memo terminating the 100 percent federal cost share with the National Guard that had been in effect... Read More »
Coast Guard executes international narcotics seizures
Coast Guard officials said crews recently executed narcotics seizures in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea. The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton crew offloaded approximately 11,500 pounds of cocaine and... Read More »
DHS S&T funding to aid development of flood hazard modeling process
Deltares USA and Deltares have secured $950,000 in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) funds to develop a flood hazard modeling process. The endeavor, which officials said would utilize open source data, models, and software, is in accordance with the... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Warren, Smith press large test labs for data on COVID-19 test processing capacity
In response to reports that rising COVID-19 cases in July strained lab capacity and caused a decline in daily tests, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) wrote letters to several COVID-19 testing labs requesting information on the processing capacity for each. June and July... Read More »
NIAID creates Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases with $82M investment plan
Seeking greater investigations into how and where viruses and other pathogens can crossover from wildlife to people, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) officially created the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) this week through an initial 11... Read More »
Infectious diseases society cautions FDA commissioner on COVID-19 vaccines
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) are urging the Food and Drug Administration to make sure that rigorous safety and efficacy data support the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine. Full licensure of a vaccine is preferable to an Emergency Use... Read More »
Rep. Green introduces bill to strengthen CISA
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) introduced legislation to strengthen the ability of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to address cyberthreats on Federal government systems. The bill, called the Protecting Federal Networks Act, gives CISA the authority to address threats and... Read More »
Lawmakers seek cryptocurrency seizure insight
Two Democratic legislators forwarded correspondence Tuesday to Attorney General William Barr and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin seeking insight regarding the recent seizure of cryptocurrency raised by designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) Emanuel... Read More »
DARPA gains explosives trace detection technology
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has gained explosives trace detection technology via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). The Next-Generation Mass Spectrometry Explosive Trace Detector or Next-Gen Mass Spec ETD was developed in... Read More »
Abbott gains emergency use authorization for 15-minute COVID-19 antigen test
Abbott gained emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week for a COVID-19 antigen test known as BinaxNOW, which proposes to test patients for $5, with a 15-minute turnaround on results. Quick, portable, and affordable, Abbott intends for its tool to be... Read More »
BARDA partners with four private, academic partners to investigate new vaccine delivery technologies
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is searching for new ways to deliver vaccines, and to do so, it has found four partners in research: Esperovax, Inc., the University of Connecticut, Vaxess Technologie, and Verndari, Inc. The two options being investigated... Read More »
Harvard collaborates with AbbVie on viral infection research alliance
AbbVie is teaming up with Harvard University on a $30 million research alliance to study and develop novel therapies against emergent viral infections. The focus of the research, which will take place at Harvard Medical School (HMS), is on viral infections caused by coronaviruses and other... Read More »
Sen. Durbin discusses COVID-19 vaccine safety with Operation Warp Speed chief
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed the research and approval process for COVID-19 vaccine candidates with General Gustave Perna, chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership designed to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, Durbin... Read More »
USCIS averts furlough of nearly 70 percent of workforce
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials said spending cuts and increased incoming revenue and receipts has resulted in averting an administrative furlough of more than 13,000 employees. “Our workforce is the backbone of every USCIS accomplishment. Their resilience and... Read More »
Rep. LaMalfa seeks greater wildfire aid for California
U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) said lack of planning, personnel, and equipment has led to extreme California wildfire damage and has invited federal officials to the state to aid with solutions. LaMalfa said he has extended an invitation to Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of Agriculture... Read More »
FDA pressed over changes to COVID-19 convalescent plasma treatment requirements
Changes to the requirements for emergency use authorization (EUA) of convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised new barriers for hospitals, and a new line of questions from U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI). In a... Read More »
AstraZeneca doses first participants in phase 1 clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment
A phase 1 clinical trial for AZD7442, a combination monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 licensed by AstraZeneca, began this week for 48 healthy participants in the United Kingdom. Throughout the study, researchers will assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic releases results of Phase 3 study for smallpox vaccine
Bavarian Nordic released the results from its Phase 3 study of the freeze-dried formulation of its MVA-BN smallpox vaccine. The FDA approved the liquid-frozen formulation of the vaccine in September 2019 under the name JYNNEOS. The prior Phase 2 study has shown bioequivalence between the... Read More »