TweetThe National Guard’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams were deployed in the United States 128 times in support of civil authorities during fiscal year 2011. The CSTs were established in 1998 and have been operating as full-time federally-funded … Read More

TweetA white powder used to threaten an elementary school in Manchester, Connecticut, is not believed to be a hazardous agent. Manchester Fire Chief Robert Bycholski said that a second round of laboratory tests confirmed that the powder was not anthrax … Read More

TweetPresident Barack Obama recently invited a number of African leaders to join the G8 summit for a discussion on food security, despite claims that he has failed to adequately address food security issues at home. The Pew Health Organization recently … Read More

TweetThree organizations recently received an $8.1 million biodefense grant to collaborate on the development of new drugs to treat some of the deadliest bioterror agents. The University of Washington, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the Seattle-based … Read More

TweetA scientist from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases located at Fort Detrick, Maryland, was recently nominated for a major award for his work in researching vaccines against bioterror agents. Dr. Arthur Friedlander has been nominated for … Read More

TweetA Wisconsin man was recently charged with making a false anthrax threat that resulted in Milwaukee police cordoning off an entire city block. David V. Bustamante of Milwaukee is accused of posting a video on YouTube that shows him and … Read More

TweetCanadian doctors recently announced they are preparing to conduct human clinical trials on a new vaccine against the Ebola virus. Researchers from Winnipeg’s National Microbiology Laboratory said they will hold talks with Health Canada next month about conducting human studies … Read More

TweetThe first of two controversial H5N1 avian influenza transmissibility studies has been published while the other has been given the go-ahead by the Dutch government and will likely be published soon. Yoshihiro Kawaoka’s study was published on Wednesday after the … Read More

TweetProfectus BioSciences, a therapeutic and vaccine development company, and the Galveston National Laboratory have received a five year, $5.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The grant will support the development of a trivalent vaccine … Read More

TweetA panel of National Academy of Sciences members will hear expert testimony throughout the week on the subject of Kansas’ under construction National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. A series of three teleconferences started on Wednesday in which the experts discussed … Read More

TweetSwedish defense experts fear the Nordic nation’s military remains unprepared for an attack using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. Defense analyst Johan Tunberger, formerly of Sweden’s Defense Research Agency, pointed to the military’s lack of protection against CBRN weapons, … Read More

TweetThe U.S. Department of State recently announced that it would not aid the development of a biotechnology sector in Nigeria until the country adopts an appropriate legal framework. Fatuma Sanneh, a state department economics and commerce officer, said that Nigeria’s … Read More

TweetA U.S. Senate committee recently questioned federal officials whose agencies deal with dual-use research about procedures they use to spot potential bioterror threats. The questions were spurred by recent events surrounding two controversial, independent H5N1 transmission studies that created potentially … Read More

TweetA new study recently assessed the potential consequences of a major anthrax attack directed at Seattle, Washington, in order to gain a better insight into how residents would react in such a situation. Researchers at the University of Southern California’s … Read More

TweetMalaysian officials recently announced that they will be prepared to submit a major bill regulating potential bioweapons research to the Attorney General’s Chambers by the end of the year. The legislation, which has already been written, is due to be … Read More

TweetEmergent BioSolutions, Inc., the makers of the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved anthrax vaccine, recently announced plans for a major upgrade to its operations in Lansing, Michigan. The Rockville, Maryland-based biopharmaceutical said that it would soon begin work … Read More

TweetA recent split between Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) may threaten funding for the National Bio and Agro- Defense Facility that is planned for Manhattan, Kansas. Kansas Senate President Steve Morris (R-Hugoton) said that Congressional … Read More

TweetHuman Genome Sciences recently rejected a $2.6 billion takeover bid by biopharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. GSK offered $13 per share for HGS, which is currently developing an anthrax treatment for the U.S. government. The offered price is 81 percent premium to … Read More

TweetThe top U.S. government biosecurity committee recently called for the development of international guidelines to guide research on dangerous flu strains. In the wake of the controversy surrounding the publication of studies by two independent teams who created strains of … Read More

TweetAn infectious disease facility in Boston’s South End that has endured years of regulatory hurdles and legal challenges must still receive one final approval for biosafety level 3 and 4 research. The Boston University facility is the subject of a … Read More

TweetThe perpetrator of an anthrax hoax was recently sentenced to prison for threatening a postal carrier in Oregon with the deadly biological agent. Kelsey Van Hook was sent to federal prison for one year and one day for placing a … Read More

TweetSecurity analysts in Ankara, Turkey, are facing a growing concern that the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile could be used by Assad’s forces or its military proxies against Turkish interests. Syria is the only one of Turkey’s neighbors that is not … Read More

TweetThe U.S. Department of Defense recently issued an amendment to its solicitation for the development of various vaccine prototypes. The DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, in conjunction with the Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical & Biological Defense, announced … Read More

TweetAn expert on weapons of mass destruction for the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently said that, although the food sector is not a likely target for terrorists, gaining access to the food supply would be relatively simple. John Frank, the … Read More

TweetA group of elderly Georgia militiamen recently plead guilty to conspiring to obtain explosives and a silencer as part of a terror plot uncovered in November. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said that Frank Thomas … Read More

TweetExport controls in the Netherlands are being cited as an obstacle to the publication of a controversial study of manmade mammalian-transmissible H5N1 viruses by Dr. Ron Fouchier of the University of Rotterdam and his colleagues. The U.S. National Science Advisory … Read More

TweetFirefighters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, recently completed a series of simulations designed to test their ability to handle an emergency involving a biological weapon of mass destruction. A portion of the Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue Squad used a training … Read More

TweetWashington State University plans to hold a free public lecture on the threat of bioterrorism. Thomas Preston, a WSU professor of political science, will discuss how bioterrorism will impact future leaders of the United States as the rapid pace of … Read More

TweetJohnson & Johnson’s powerful antibiotic Levaquin is currently being considered for approval by federal regulators as a treatment for pneumonic plague, the ancient illness feared for its potential use as a biological weapon. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory … Read More

TweetExperts meeting at an agroterrorism summit held recently in Parlier, California, gave farmers and farm workers advice on how to prevent a potential terrorist act. They suggested keeping a ledger available to record the license numbers of suspicious vehicles or … Read More