News
Sen. Peters launches investigation into Trump administration’s COVID-19 preparation, response
The top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), announced a pending examination of the Trump Administration’s planning, coordination, and execution of preparation and response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. This... Read More »
Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act would broaden free access to coronavirus testing
Under the Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act, introduced this week by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the federal government would be required to manufacture and expand the number of institutions to which it distributes diagnostic tests to increase access to free COVID-19 testing. Based... Read More »
U.S. to purchase additional 100M doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, pursue new Merck therapeutic
The federal government announced Wednesday that it would purchase an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered next year. Coordinated through the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD), Pfizer will have to meet several... Read More »
FDA approves Ebolavirus treatment Ebanga
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a treatment for the Zaire Ebolavirus infection in adults and children. The treatment is called Ebanga, a human monoclonal antibody that blocks the virus's binding to the cell receptor, thus preventing its entry into the cell. Zaire... Read More »
Senators applaud DHS for combatting vaccine fraud
A group of U.S. Senators is commending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their efforts to protect against counterfeit vaccines and personal protective equipment through Operation Stolen Promise 2.0. “In April U.S. Immigration and Customs... Read More »
Artificial intelligence measure included in must-pass government funding deal
A group of lawmakers recently touted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Act, which was included in the must-pass government funding deal and set to become law. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Rob Portman (R-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said the... Read More »
Immigration and Customs Enforcement seizes fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine websites
In the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland seized two fraudulent COVID-19 websites. The domain names, mordernatx.com and regeneronmedicals.com, purported to be the websites of... Read More »
More than $107M awarded by NIH in broad effort to find radical COVID-19 testing, surveillance ideas
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded more than $107 million to support new, non-traditional means of plugging gaps in COVID-19 testing and surveillance, as well as to develop platforms for future outbreaks. The awards were given under a program... Read More »
Congress passes $900B COVID-19 relief package, including $73B for HHS federal response efforts
Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday, which includes legislation that will provide more than $73 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for federal response efforts. While much attention has been put on the $600 direct stimulus payment and $300 per... Read More »
Sens. Portman, Peters to work on cybersecurity legislation in light of hack
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), who will lead the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the new Congress, plan to hold hearings and develop comprehensive cybersecurity legislation in 2021. The lawmakers also issued a statement on the recent... Read More »
House Services Committee leaders urge sound cybersecurity policy following hack
The House Armed Services Committee leaders are sounding the alarm for the need for a sound cybersecurity policy following the breach of the SolarWinds breach that has impacted several federal agencies. SolarWinds is a provider of IT infrastructure management software, which is used by several... Read More »
DHS S&T initiative targets Positioning, Navigation, and Timing resilience
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has published the PNT Conformance Framework to bolster Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) resilience. PNT services that include the Global Positioning System (GPS) serve a national function enabling... Read More »
CBP publishes 2021-2026 forward strategy
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency's recently published Strategy 2021-2026 introduces new mission and vision statements describing commitment to a safer and more prosperous nation. The document also addresses mission priorities describing the core in a succinct... Read More »
Congress advances legislation to address shoreline erosion on Great Lakes to president’s desk
After securing U.S. House support last week, the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act, which is meant to reduce risks of flooding, rising water levels, and shoreline erosion along the Great Lakes, is headed for final review by the president. Introduced by U.S. Sens.... Read More »
COVAX initiative secures deals for nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines
On behalf of 190 participating economies, the global COVAX initiative has secured access to nearly 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine candidates and plans to begin dispensing those doses early next year to protect vulnerable groups. While most of the vaccine candidates involved are still under... Read More »
DARPA rolls out Reefense program to protect military installation from coastal storm damage
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has established a new initiative designed to protect military installations from coastal storm damage and flooding. DARPA’s new Reefense program seeks to develop biological and engineered reef-mimicking structures to mitigate wave and... Read More »
DHS announces two new partners in its Partnership Intermediary Agreement Program
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced new partnerships with two organizations through its Partnership Intermediary Agreement Program. The program was established to leverage the specialized skills of its partners and intermediaries to... Read More »
DARPA, JPEO-CBRND funds target COVID-19 treatment development
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) have earmarked $37.6 million for COVID-19 treatment development. A research team representing scientists from The Wistar Institute,... Read More »
US Army awards Alion Science and Technology $41M contract for CCDC Soldier Center
Alion Science and Technology has secured a $41 million Army contract with a 60-month period of performance to aid the Aerial Delivery Analysis Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Soldier Center. Under the task order, awarded under the Department of Defense Information Analysis... Read More »
Hologic to speed development of combo SARS-CoV-2/Flu test under expanded federal partnership
Thanks to an expansion of a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Hologic, Inc. will accelerate the development of the Aptima SARS-CoV-2/Flu assay, dangling the promise of a test capable of differentiating between the pair. Specifically, the test... Read More »
FDA working to finalize EUA for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine following advisory committee vote
A Moderna, Inc. vaccine is on track to become the second COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States, following this week's positive endorsement from the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). The VRBPAC, an advisory committee for the U.S. Food... Read More »
RPI researchers address shortages of medical facilities during a health crisis
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are looking to improve the manufacturing of rapidly deployed structures to address future shortages of medical care and quarantine facilities during a health crisis, like the current pandemic. The stress that COVID-19 has placed on medical... Read More »
Reps. Gabbard, Massie sponsor bill to repeal Patriot Act, FISA amendments
U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bill that would repeal the USA Patriot Act and amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to remove provisions that they say undermine civil liberties. The bill, the Protect Our Civil Liberties Act (H.R.8970),... Read More »
WHO, Sanofi renew tropical disease focus
World Health Organization (WHO) personnel and officials representing Sanofi, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, said the entities are partnering to readdress neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). “This decades-long collaboration exemplifies a successful public–private... Read More »
DARPA Toolbox seeks to aid vendor technology access
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has initiated its DARPA Toolbox, which provides open licensing opportunities with commercial technology vendors to researchers behind DARPA programs. “DARPA performers are frequently encumbered by having to negotiate access to tools, IP... Read More »
BinaxNOW COVID-19 home test granted emergency use authorization by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Abbott this week for its BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test, allowing for virtually guided use by anyone 15 years or older, with a prescription. Healthcare providers will refer such patients to the... Read More »
BARDA invests another $83M into Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox vaccine
Bavarian Nordic A/S secured $83 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) this week, marking a second investment into its JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from the U.S. government. This follows a $106 million investment into the vaccine made in April,... Read More »
Sacklers endure House committee’s outrage over Purdue Pharma’s role in opioid crisis
Two prominent members of the founding family of Purdue Pharma appeared before Congress Thursday and continued to distance themselves from an aggressive marketing campaign the company allegedly used to drive sales of the dangerous opioid painkiller, OxyContin. Kathe Sackler and David Sackler... Read More »
Valneva starts clinical trials in UK for COVID-19 vaccine candidate
A Phase 1/2 clinical study is getting underway in the United Kingdom for Valneva SE’s vaccine candidate against the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19. The French pharmaceutical company said on Wednesday that the VLA2001-201 study is a randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the... Read More »
DEA launches campaign to reduce drug misuse, overdose
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is launching a new campaign that urges the public to “Secure Your Meds” as part of its effort to reduce drug misuse and overdose. The administration hopes the campaign will remind Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and secure unused... Read More »
Johns Hopkins leads coalition for equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched a coalition to promote equitable vaccination distribution. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected communities of color in the country. Infection and mortality rates are highest in... Read More »
CDC will award $227M for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, tracking
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award $140 million for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced. The CDC will also award almost $87 million for tracking and testing to 64 jurisdictions, including all 50 states and... Read More »
Bechtel initiates chemical weapons destruction initiative
The engineering, construction, and project management firm Bechtel has initiated an effort to address chemical weapons destruction to reach the goal of eradicating the national stockpile by 2023. “As a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty, the U.S. is committed to destroying the... Read More »
Tests address public transit virus spread reduction
Three entities have initiated real-world testing efforts to determine the most effective measures to address the public transit virus spread reduction. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with the New York Metropolitan... Read More »