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The Government Accountability Office (GAO), along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published a study this week detailing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) efforts to curb illegal immigration into the United States.
The study stems from previous agency reports... Read More »
A new study published this week in the online open-access journal mBio suggests that the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) develops mutations that make the virus less virulent, rather than more virulent.
The virus causes severe respiratory infection and has a worldwide... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the National Commission on Security and Technology on Monday.
The commission was formed in the wake of the Apple’s public refusal to follow the FBI’s order to program a backdoor into... Read More »
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Joint Science and Technology Office, along with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, announced this week that a compound demonstrated no adverse effects in its Phase 1 trials against the Ebola virus.
The compound, GS-5734,... Read More »
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced this week that they have developed a new simulation for drug-membrane permeability, increasing the production speed for nerve agent treatments.
By using in-house supercomputers, LLNL researchers are simulating the energy... Read More »
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Wednesday about the continuing danger posed by Zika virus to the Americas and plans to respond to the virus both nationally and internationally.
Zika virus is primarily spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Such... Read More »
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced on Monday the discovery of one of the key ways the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) changes and adapts between patients, allowing for even more research on the complex condition.
MERS-CoV is a deadly... Read More »
Tenable Network Security, Inc., released on Monday its latest security solution - a series of dashboard useable across multiple platforms that allow governments and other organizations to keep track of its cyber security status in real time - on Monday.
The dashboards are configured according to... Read More »
The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced a discovery last week that a single monoclonal antibody isolated from a human Ebola virus disease survivor protected non-human primates from the virus.
The antibody can now advance to testing in humans as a potential... Read More »
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently announced that it has developed a device known as SmartCAR that uses colorimetric assay to identify such dangerous chemical compounds as anthrax, ricin and plague.
“Although much of the technology in SmartCAR is commercial off-the-shelf, it... Read More »
SIGA Technologies, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it had officially received FDA concurrence on its lead product, tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX and ST-246.
Tecovirimat is an orally administered antiviral drug that targets orthopoxvirus-related diseases, including smallpox.
The... Read More »
In the wake of a series of cyber-ransom events, 11 of Korea’s top information security companies will be showcased this week at the Korea Pavilion at the 2016 RSA Conference in an effort to curb cybercrime across the globe.
“The RSA Conference is an ideal platform to introduce the US market... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a collaborative effort on Thursday to establish the “Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (CARB) Biopharmaceutical Accelerator” to help fight against antimicrobial resistance.
The collaboration involves the... Read More »
The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) commenced a training exercise last week aimed at handling environments affected by chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats (CBRNE).
The course, entitled “Hazardous Materials Evidence Collection for CBRNE Incidents (HEC),”... Read More »
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) announced the signing of a series of licensing agreements on Thursday with Biodetech, LLC, allowing the company to utilize the Agents of Biological Origin Identifier (ABOid).
ABOid is a pathogen identification platform developed by... Read More »
A subcommittee hearing chaired by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) on Thursday heard testimony from leading cybersecurity experts on the serious national security threats currently faced by the U.S. from other nation states and malicious cyber actors.
The hearing, held by the House Homeland... Read More »
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced the Terrorist Release Transparency Act, H.R. 4580, on Tuesday.
The legislation aims to ensure that the public, along with foreign partners, have access to critical details before terrorists are released from the Guantanamo Bay... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Monday on the steps the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can take regarding unaccompanied children (UAC) crossing the southern U.S. border.... Read More »
Tenable Network Security, Inc., announced on Monday that it is expanding its focus on the federal market by adding a new sales division to see the unique cybersecurity needs of federal customers.
Tenable also announced that it has hired Darron Makrokanis to lead the new sales division.... Read More »
The El Centro Border Patrol announced on Thursday that Rodney S. Scott has been appointed as the new chief border patrol agent.
The previous chief agent, Carla Provost, was promoted to deputy assistant commissioner for Customs and Border Patrol, Internal Affairs and relocated to Washington,... Read More »
Symantec Corp. announced on Friday that the Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) won AV-TEST’s “Best Protection 2015 Award” for corporate products, and scored high performance grades in each of the award’s cyber security certification areas.
SEP consistently lead the field in the... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) on Wednesday praised the addition of Libya, Somalia, and Yemen to the list of countries of concern.
“I commend Secretary Johnson for adding Libya, Somalia, and Yemen to the list of countries of... Read More »
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Gil Kerlikowske gave a speech on Wednesday at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg highlighting the future of the CBP and the day to day operations it faces.
“So what does a typical day look like?” Kerlikowske said. “On a... Read More »
Meetings of the Five Country Ministerial and the Quintet of Attorneys General meetings were jointly held on Feb. 16-17 by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Director of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to discuss the latest issue surrounding international security.
Lynch and Johnson’s... Read More »
SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it produced a new human antibody therapeutic to threat the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) utilizing its novel DiversitAb production platform.
MERS-CoV was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The World... Read More »
The Conference of the States Parties announced on Wednesday that it would host an event to celebrate the inaugural International Day for the Foundation of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), or “OPCW Day,” from May 2-4 at OPCW headquarters.
Deliberations over... Read More »
As a response to the growing threat of malicious hacking scandals and cyber security threats, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Joseph Pitts (R-PA) sent a letter on Wednesday to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking insight into... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently detailed the extensive security effort in securing the site for Super Bowl 50.
Among the agencies involved in the effort were the Travel Safety Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),... Read More »
Guidelines and procedures laid out by the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 were issued on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security.
Federal agencies and private businesses are provided with a clear understanding of how to share cyber threat indicators with DHS’s National Cybersecurity and... Read More »
The American Society for Microbiology sent a letter this week in support of President Barack Obama’s request to the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations for a $1.8 billion fund for emergency Zika relief.
The letter was signed by Lynn Enquist, president of the American Society for... Read More »
More than 200 industry leaders convened in Pittsburgh in early February to discuss the region’s role in cybersecurity information and innovation at the inaugural Cyburgh, PA Initiative Event.
Among those attending the meeting, former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., announced on Wednesday that its ruggedized, military-grade auto-injector platform will be tested and developed as a platform for nerve agent antidote delivery by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Battelle.
Emergent’s Emergard platform, selected from several... Read More »
A coalition of House members sent a letter to Secretary of State Jeh Johnson on Friday regarding the member’s concerns over ISIS expansion in Libya.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-TX), House Homeland Security Committee... Read More »
The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced a letter of intent on Friday to collaborate with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston to research and develop a Zika virus vaccine
The initiative of the collaborating will be directed toward the development of joint research... Read More »
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warned on Tuesday that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) has begun using chemical weapons in targeted attacks against American-supported fighters.
The reported attacks occurred in August during fighting in northern Iraq, targeting the... Read More »
