Biological
It’s not far-fetched to think that Ebola could be used as an agent of bioterrorism, according to researchers working on vaccines and treatments for the virus.
In theory, a terrorist could mass disseminate the hemorrhagic virus by small particle aerosol. It is a possible but unlikely scenario... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is testing new chemical sensors that are pushing the ability to detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats to potentially region-scale efforts.
The effort is coming of age under the SIGMA+ initiative, which is a... Read More »
Medical examiners used Rapid DNA technology to identify the 85 people killed in last year’s Camp Fire wildfire in Paradise, Calif.
The technology is funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). It was developed to quickly analyze DNA to... Read More »
As the U.S. government seeks to build its National Biodefense Strategy, more than 200 heavy hitters from federal, state and local agencies, national stakeholder organizations, academia and the private sector informed its future implementation during the April 17 Biodefense Summit held in... Read More »
ENSCO, Inc. has secured an 18-month, $2.9 million Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) contract to continue sensor system development initiatives.
ENSCO's work would focus on SenseNet, an endeavor devoted to developing a low-cost integrated sensor... Read More »
The synthetic biology firm Twist Bioscience Corporation is espousing the benefits of Battelle's ThreatSEQTM web service DNA screening platform, which is designed to aid in bolstering internal biosecurity efforts.
“Battelle created the ThreatSEQ web service with significant input from industry... Read More »
Applied science and technology development company Battelle has deemed the recent three-week testing of its Common Analytical Laboratory System (CALS) with users a success.
CALS, described as three variants of mobile laboratories providing on-site analytical capabilities to any incident... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday issued a final rule that restricts both the use and distribution of Bacillus bacteria detection devices, which are prescribed to preliminarily identify and diagnose cases of anthrax and other infectious diseases.
“The FDA plays a critical... Read More »
A new global index offers an original way to monitor national-level preparedness for infectious disease, providing a holistic view of a country’s capacity to mitigate the spread of illness and pandemics.
Created by researchers at Metabiota, the Epidemic Preparedness Index (EPI) factors... Read More »
Several states are grappling with how to handle current public health threats around the re-emergence of measles just as they also continue efforts to end the ongoing tuberculosis (TB) epidemic.
Both threats came up during discussions at the March 14 hearing, entitled the “Review of the Ebola... Read More »
The United States is struggling to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other partners in fighting what has become the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak, federal public health officials on Thursday told members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and... Read More »
Smallpox, although eradicated, has joined the growing list of potential biosecurity threats, according to experts, who say preparedness for the possible return of the virus should be prioritized around the world.
Smallpox, a contagious, disfiguring and often deadly disease, was eradicated... Read More »
Extreme weather events, a CBRN incident, cyberthreats and infectious diseases having pandemic potential all put Americans on notice for 21st century health security hazards, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says in its newly developed National Health Security Strategy... Read More »
There’s ample reason to concentrate on the role the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) plays in helping the nation defend against biological attacks, one of the most critical being the protection of America’s military troops, said experts Tuesday during a Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense... Read More »
Medical breakthroughs and advances in public health systems have enabled countries to contain the effects of infectious diseases, but these gains are tempered by insecurities from forces in economics, globalization, and synthetic biology.
That was the takeaway from The Global Risks Report... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved the newest version of bipartisan legislation that would keep Americans safe against natural disasters and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threats.
Introduced on Jan. 8, the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and... Read More »
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense recently bid farewell to one of its founding members, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, the newly elected U.S. Representative for Florida, and welcomed former White House Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco to fill those... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for potential emergency use of a new anthrax vaccine the company recently developed.
The vaccine, called NuThrax, is being developed as an anthrax vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease... Read More »
A vaccine candidate for the Zika virus shows that it is effective in guarding against the infection in non-human primates and is a promising candidate to protect pregnant women as well, scientists at the University of Hawaii announced this month.
Since the Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 in... Read More »
Health Canada, the federal drug approval arm for Canada, has approved a vaccine for anthrax developed by Emergent BioSolutions Inc., the global life sciences company announced on Monday.
The vaccine, BioThrax, is designed to immunize people from infectious disease caused by spores of the... Read More »
Pointing to the wealth of data potential locked in the wrist watch-style health monitors developed by Israeli company Biobeat Technologies Ltd., the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) is fronting nearly... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) will expand its efforts to counter global catastrophic biological risks over the next three years thanks to a $1.9 million grant from the Open Philanthropy Project.
To expand its efforts, NTI hired Jaime Yassif as senior fellow to serve in its biosecurity... Read More »
The Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI) recently named George W. Korch, Jr. as lab director of the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC).
Korch is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has a Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious... Read More »
A collection of more than 40 individuals and non-governmental organizations have endorsed a joint NGO statement to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), following its 2018 Meeting of States Parties and first annual Global Forum on Scientific Advances Important to the BWC.
That statement began... Read More »
Thirty years ago, Nancy Connell was working to get thousands of scientists, including Nobel laureates, to sign a pledge presented at the United Nations, an agreement that said they would not knowingly engage in research that would lead to the development of a biological weapon.
Connell was a... Read More »
A coalition of national organizations representing public health, healthcare providers, biotechnology companies, and researchers this week urged congressional leaders to swiftly approve the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2018 before Congress adjourns... Read More »
Policy leaders and scientific experts met in November to assess the impact of advances in technology on biological risks and brainstorm new ideas to address them.
The meeting -- sponsored by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Oxford University, and Johns Hopkins University -- included... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force completed field testing last month of an improved chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protective mask for crews on rotary wing aircraft.
The Joint Service Aircrew Mask – Rotary Wing replaces the Aircrew Eye and Respiratory Protection system on HH-60G Pave... Read More »
Federal officials are pushing for the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018 (PAHPA), which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in September, to be signed into law this year.
In a discussion on Wednesday hosted by the Alliance for Biosecurity... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has joined over 60 global health security organizations in calling for bolstered funding in the Trump Administration’s 2020 budget request to counter biological threats.
The groups forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Health and Human Services and Chair... Read More »
Battelle was awarded earlier this month a 2018 R&D 100 Award for its creation of a web-based DNA screening platform for the detection and characterization of sequences of concern in genomic data.
The award-winning technology – called ThreatSEQ – is a commercial DNA screening solution that... Read More »
Declining stock prices caused by low returns on antibiotic research and development have caused companies to abandon antibiotic R&D, putting additional pressure on the few remaining companies focused on drug discovery.
This is according to a statement recently issued by the Infectious... Read More »
Merck has started the submission of a rolling Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an investigational vaccine to combat the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, the company recently announced.
The V920 vaccine, scientifically known as rVSV-ZEBOV, falls under... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) outdated BioWatch Program, launched in 2003 as an early warning system for potential bioterrorist attacks in the United States, is being replaced, a federal expert told members of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense on Nov. 14 during a report... Read More »
In an international effort to reduce global catastrophic risks associated with technological advancements, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has established a multi-year project that will develop and promote actions that limit the potential misuse of biotechnology.
Launched last month, the NTI... Read More »
