Medical Countermeasures

AnaptysBio, Inc., announced on Wednesday the receipt of a contract award from the U.S. government for the creation of highly thermostable anti-ricin antibodies to use in biodefense measures. AnaptysBio is under contract with the Science and Technology Corporation and will … Read More…

A point-of-care device used by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators used to diagnose cancer was recently adapted to rapidly diagnose biothreats like E. coli and other pathogens like tuberculosis. The portable devices combine nuclear magnetic resonance and microfluidic technology to both … Read More…

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced on Wednesday that it is starting a five-year program called Rapid Threat Assessment. RTA sets a new goal for researchers to develop new methods and technologies capable of mapping the molecular mechanism of … Read More…

Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team and 1st Calvary Division received a refresher lesson on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training on May 1. Staff Sgt. Sandra Shane-Trovato, a CBRN specialist, conducted the CBRN training. Shane-Trovato said the Chemical … Read More…

The U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, along with the Joint Requirements Office for CBRN Defense, said on April 30 that it is looking for products, technologies and approaches that deal with the decontamination of individuals exposed to CBRN materials. … Read More…

Researchers recently revealed how the Ebola virus, a pathogen considered to be a Category A bioterrorism agent by the U.S., disarms the adaptive immune system. Scientists with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that Ebola short-circuits the … Read More…

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and a developer of biodefense countermeasures, announced a worldwide exclusive collaboration on Wednesday with Intrexon, a synthetic biology company, to develop a treatment for melioidosis. Soligenix plans to develop and commercialize human monoclonal … Read More…

Only 60 percent of CBRN medical countermeasures are approved children, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Strategic National Stockpile contains medical countermeasures that are not approved for children, such as ciprofloxacin, a drug for the treatment … Read More…

Ichor Medical Systems announced on Tuesday that it was awarded a $11 million contract from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to develop a broad vaccine against biodefense pathogens. The four-year contract with the San Diego-based biotechnology company will fund … Read More…

PositiveID Corporation, a company that develops biological detection equipment, announced on April 29 the launch of its Firefly Dx detection equipment. Firefly Dx is a portable, hand-held diagnostic system able to detect biological threats by inputting small samples, such as … Read More…

PharmAthene, Inc., a company that develops medical agents against biological and chemical threats, found a defense against sarin and tabun Wednesday, which are believed to be the chemical agents allegedly used recently in Syria. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute … Read More…

Congress should continue to fund Project BioShield, a project that led to medical countermeasures against anthrax, smallpox and other threats, according to a former U.S. senior director for biodefense policy. Robert Kadlec, a consultant with RPK Consulting, LLC, who advised … Read More…

The National Institutes of Health recently posted a solicitation for the development of medical countermeasures to enhance platelet regeneration and survival following radiation exposure from a nuclear or radiological incident. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the NIH … Read More…

A new antibiotic, developed by Rockefeller University and Astex Pharmaceuticals, kills a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant strands that did not previously respond to traditional medicine. This new antibiotic, Epimerox, targets phage, the weaknesses in bacteria that have been … Read More…

The reflector technology found on bikes and running sneakers may now detect bioterrorism threats and infectious diseases, announced the 245th  National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society on Wednesday. The device, called a retroreflector, shrinks the reflectors to … Read More…

Radiation Shield Technologies was recently awarded a patent in South Korea for the development of a lightweight clothing that protects against CBRN threats and heat stress. RST was awarded this patent because of their anti-nuclear protective garment, made of Demron, … Read More…

The Office of Naval Research launched a new initiative with university researchers on Thursday for the development of engineered cells to help military personnel detect potential threats during missions. ONR has multiple projects that are ongoing in the field of … Read More…

Mark Buller, Ph.D., from Saint Louis University has received a contract from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency worth up to $980,000 to research the potential for two cancer medications to protect U.S. troops from biological agents. The DTRA, a … Read More…

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., announced on Wednesday that their bid won them a contract with the Department of Defense to develop Medical Countermeasures Advanced Development and Manufacturing capabilities. The DOD just closed the bidding process for the development of MCM ADM capabilities … Read More…

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are working on a medical device that will be able to quickly detect numerous biothreat agents, including anthrax, ricin, botulinum, shiga and SEB toxin. The device will first need to be approved by the FDA. … Read More…

The Economic and Social Research Council, a United Kingdom-based organization that sponsors research on economic and social issues, recently published a study on the importance of well-planned disaster exercises. According to Ben Anderson from Durham University, Peder Adey of Royal … Read More…

Governments, regulatory authorities and funders of viral-engineering studies must address the dangers posed by gain-of-function studies, according to an official with the Foundation for Vaccine Research. Simon Wain-Hobson, the chair of the Washington, D.C.-based organization, made his comments less than … Read More…

Emergency officials and police officers in Monongalia County, West Virginia, conducted a disaster drill on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for a disease outbreak resulting from a natural or manmade incident. The participants took part in the drill to improve their … Read More…

New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine are teaming up to form a specialized Disaster Medical Assistance Team to provide help during any national security event or disaster, both natural and manmade. The team, known as New Hampshire-1, draws from across New … Read More…

The Senate agreed in voice vote to an amendment proposed by Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) that would fully fund the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the financial year 2014 government budget. Burr proposed amendment no. 232 at the … Read More…

Indian government officials recently attended the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art training laboratory that will handle biological, chemical and nuclear emergencies in Coimbatore, India. The laboratory will be used to train personnel of the disaster management sector of the Central … Read More…

Cangene Corp.’s antidote for a potential bioweapon botulism toxin antidote has been approved by the FDA. The Winnipeg, Canada-based Cangene supplies its botulism antitoxin to the United States under an emergency-use exemption. Cangene was awarded a contract in 2006, which … Read More…

Scientists at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Drug Design recently developed a new antidote to the chemical agent cyanide that could save lives in case of an attack with the deadly gas. Current treatments for cyanide must be administered … Read More…

Australian authorizes recently announced they believe an anthrax outbreak in New South Wales has been contained. Two properties in the northern portion of the state are still under quarantine as investigators continue to search for a cause of the outbreak … Read More…

Health officials in Armenia recently reported two cases of anthrax related to the slaughter of infected cattle in the Bogdanovka region of Georgia. Armenia’s Health Ministry said both men slaughtered cattle in Georgia’s Pokr Gondura village on March 7. The … Read More…

Health authorities in Australia are warning farmers about ideal conditions for an outbreak of anthrax in northern New South Wales and encouraging them to keep an eye out for the deadly disease. Shaun Slattery, the district veterinarian for the Livestock … Read More…

President Obama is expected soon to sign the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act into law, which will extend for five years the array of federal biodefense programs created following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The U.S. House of … Read More…