Threats
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awards up to $20M to CEPI for COVID-19 vaccine portfolio expansion
A grant of up to $20 million was awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this week to expand its portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines and address gaps in current development. Significant gains have been made in development... Read More »
Naloxone helps New Mexico reduce drug overdose deaths from prescription opioids
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) recently reported that prescription opioid overdose deaths decreased statewide in 2019 when more than 94,000 doses of naloxone were dispensed or distributed, representing an increase of 95 percent from 2018. NMDOH also said that there were more than... Read More »
New report outlines diagnostic measures to control COVID-19
While Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan implemented aggressive testing strategies and infrastructure during the early spread of SARS-CoV-2, the United States failed to develop and distribute reliable diagnostic tests when the pandemic initially hit the country, according to a new report. This... Read More »
US Justice Department awards $96M for drug court, veterans treatment courts
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded more than $96 million in grants to fund drug courts and veterans’ treatment courts, the department announced Wednesday. The courts, funded through the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, work to get nonviolent juveniles, veterans, and adults with... Read More »
Rep. Buchanan introduces bill to provide health coverage for vets exposed to burn pits
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide health coverage for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. The Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act was drafted after a veteran in Buchanan’s district,... Read More »
DARPA targets air combat maneuvering algorithm development
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded five companies contracts to develop algorithms as a means of bolstering aerial combat maneuvering. Boeing, EpiSci, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Heron Systems, and physicsAI would develop artificial intelligence agents expanding... Read More »
Defense bill amendment targets Agent Orange aid
Citing Agent Orange's wide impact, two Democratic senators are urging the inclusion of Senate Amendment 1972 in the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA). Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Jon Tester (D-MT) said the amendment would establish a presumption of... Read More »
Study of thousands of Marine recruits reveals asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 despite quarantine efforts
Nearly 2,000 Marine recruits were put into a two-week quarantine before starting basic training, according to a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research Center, and despite this, asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 still occurred. Published this... Read More »
NIAID: There is urgent need for COVID-19 treatments for early infection cases
A new article released this week from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and colleagues, laid out a clear call for COVID-19 treatments dedicated to cases of early infection, for their potential to speed recovery and bolster the... Read More »
West Virginia receives $6M grant to fight addiction
The Justice and Community Services section of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security recently awarded the state a $6 million grant through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program. Funding will be used for two strategies that provide addiction... Read More »
Justice Department funding initiative targets violence threats
Department of Justice officials said its Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has awarded a total of $2.6 million to four jurisdictions to disrupt and mitigate violence threats. “Disruption and early engagement programs are part of the Department of Justice’s national strategy to disrupt... Read More »
DHS initiative targets critical infrastructure resilience
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is developing guidance to bolster critical infrastructure resilience. While it is easy to understand the importance of telecommunications, energy, transportation, and emergency services, the underlying... Read More »
Researchers create computer model of 98 million Americans to predict urban spread of COVID-19
In studying 98 million Americans, a Stanford and Northwestern University team of researchers has created a computer model to chart how COVID-19 infections spread through urban areas -- and it has already accurately predicted spread in 10 major cities. "We built a computer model to analyze how... Read More »
Reps. Cox, DeLauro seek response from CDC on wastewater-based epidemiology to fight COVID-19
U.S. Reps. TJ Cox (D-CA) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are seeking information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a nationwide COVID-19 wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) surveillance program. As coronavirus cases are rising across the United States, WBE is an... Read More »Argentum Medical gets contract from HHS for burn dressings
Argentum Medical has been awarded a contract by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its Silverlon burn dressings. The Silverlon burn dressings will be used for patients affected by mass casualty incidents,... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories virtual methods aid B61-12 flight test
Air Force officials recently commended the role Sandia National Laboratories played in providing virtual means that aided a critical B61-12 Life Extension Program test flight aboard the F-35A Lightning II jet fighter. Under the National Nuclear Security Administration's guidance, the test was... Read More »
GAO assesses State, Labor Departments efforts to prevent human trafficking
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has determined the Department of State, the Department of Labor, and the U.S. Agency for International Development have taken steps to strengthen global anti-trafficking projects. The GAO indicated while the entities acknowledged challenges that made it... Read More »Reps. Castor, McKinley introduce legislation to halt flow of opioids to pill mills
U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and David McKinley (R-WV) announced Monday the introduction of bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing the flow of opioids to pill mills. The Preventing Pill Mills Through Data Sharing Act would require drug wholesalers that ship opioids to drug stores and... Read More »NIH hydroxychloroquine trial shows drug does not benefit adults hospitalized with COVID-19
Results of a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that the drug provides no clinical benefit to adults hospitalized with COVID-19, and no improved outcomes, though it did not cause harm. Published in the Journal of the American Medical... Read More »Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody earns FDA emergency use authorization
A neutralizing antibody developed by Eli Lilly and Company -- bamlanivimab --for use on COVID-19 earned emergency use authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, specifically for treating mild to moderate cases. Now, the drug can be utilized on those 12... Read More »
DHS awards funds to improve identity verification during cross-border travel
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has awarded $198,407 to iProov Ltd. to help the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) streamline cross-border travel at ports of entry while still ensuring a high degree of confidence when verifying the... Read More »
BARDA to support Humanigen in clinical trial of COVID-19 treatment
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will provide technical assistance on a Phase 3 clinical trial underway to evaluate the drug lenzilumab being developed by Humanigen. The drug is designed to prevent or treat an immune hyper-response called a cytokine storm.... Read More »
FDA issues EUA for COVID-19 antibody detection kit
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the cPass SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit, which detects neutralizing antibodies from recent or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. These are antibodies that bind to a specific part of a... Read More »
DARPA initiates skin microbiome research effort to prevent mosquito-borne diseases
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded ReVector program Phase 1 contracts to Stanford University and Ginkgo Bioworks to initiate microbiome modification initiatives in order to reduce mosquito-transmitted diseases. DARPA maintains mosquitos are of concern to the... Read More »
BARDA to support Mesa Biotech development of rapid combination COVID-19 and influenza test
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced last week that it will collaborate with Mesa Biotech, Inc. on its rapid combination test meant to diagnose and differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 – the virus behind COVID-19 – and influenza. Known as Accula, the test... Read More »
Pfizer and BioNTech declare success as data shows 90 percent efficacy in COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech reported on Monday that their joint COVID-19 vaccine candidate is more than 90 percent effective at preventing infection among those without evidence of prior exposure. “Today is a great day for science and humanity,” Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, said.... Read More »
BAE Systems building military GPS production facility
BAE Systems is slated to build a facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, utilizing an investment of more than $100 million to support its military GPS products line. The effort is in conjunction with the company's newly acquired Navigation & Sensor Systems business. The effort would unite local design... Read More »
Vermont governor deploys National Guard to help with cyberattack
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott ordered the Vermont Army National Guard’s Combined Cyber Response Team (CCRT) to help the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) to respond to a cyberattack last week. The National Guard will be deployed to review thousands of computers and devices to ensure they... Read More »
Sen. Moran helps Kansas county secure crime reduction grant
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County in Kansas got a $999,958 grant from the Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction Program (CBCR) through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). CBCR was established to reduce serious and violent crime, including gun violence; dismantle gang... Read More »
Justice Department seizes Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps domain names
Justice Department officials said the agency has seized 27 domain names Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) illegally used to expand a global covert influence campaign. The seizures represent a step against Iran's worldwide disinformation campaign, indicating each of the 27 domains... Read More »
Medical societies criticize DHS proposed visa change rule for harm it will cause to COVID-19 response
In comments made to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week, major medical societies blasted efforts to change visa rules, citing concerns over limits the “arbitrary and disruptive” change would impose and pleading for exemptions for physicians. Together, the societies -- which... Read More »
Republican senators press HHS for clarity on guidance calling for free COVID-19 testing
Seeking to address confusion over coverage requirements for COVID-19 testing due to new guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Republican senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar for clarification. The writers, who included U.S. Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Rick Scott... Read More »
BARDA puts up $30M for Invirsa effort to treat ocular conditions from sulfur mustard injuries
Through a new contract announced this week, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will provide up to $30 million to Invirsa, a small Columbus, Ohio, biopharmaceutical company, for a treatment that could hold the cure to DNA-damage from sulfur mustard injuries in... Read More »
Defense Department implements new data strategy
The U.S. Department of Defense released its new data strategy in September to make it easier for warfighters and decision-makers to access the data they need to do their jobs. "This strategy is for warfighters and decision-makers," David Spirk said on Oct. 28 at the National Defense Industrial... Read More »