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JMAR and GMP in BioSentry distribution agreement
GMP systems will soon become the exclusive distributor of JMAR’s advanced laser technology throughout the northeastern U.S.
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Only partial success for avian flu vaccine
The avian flu continues to spread, so this cannot be good news: Researchers report only partial success in the first large-scale study of an avian flu vaccine
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New method for identifying bacteria in a hurry
There are several ways to identify bacteria, but they all take time; one thing emergency units will not have during a suspected bioterror attack is time, so this new method of identifying deadly bacteria will be more than welcome
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Study questions simple link between prion proteins and Mad Cow disease
Scientists assumed that prion-protein can be absorbed across the gut, thus facilitating the infections of individuals by the Mad Cow disease; new study raises questions about this assumption
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Missouri residents unhappy with BioDefense lab idea
MU wants to use DHS funds to build two research centers to study deadly disease, but residents of Columbia, Missouri are worried about safety
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Slow Q4 sales affect Strategic Diagnostics' 2005 financial results
A company offering sophisticated solutions for water and food quality monitoring suffers as a result of decline in large U.S. water monitoring projects
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MU to build bio- and agro-defense research centers, drawing $500 in federal funding
DHS wants to build more advanced biolabs to research for remedies for bio- and agroterror, and Missouri University brings two such centers to campus
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Aggies bid on DHS BSL-4 biolab
Texas A&M also hopes to persuade DHS that it is the ideal location for a biolab which would challenge the one on Plum Island
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Brandt uses GlobalTrack for beef safety
A supplier of quality steaks deploys a sophisticated tracking system to ensure safety — and quality — of its products
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It's the water, stupid
The attention to water production and water quality has been growing among politicians and investors — and for good reason: The world’s growing population needs more water, and the reality of industrial pollution and risk of terrorism make keeping an eye on water purity and quality a must
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The long view
Bashar al-Assad’s Updated, Sinister Version of Biological Warfare
Biological warfare is generally understood as the deliberate wartime introduction of a lethal pathogen with the intent to kill or maim. Syria under President Bashar al-Assad is pursuing a sinister variation—one with long and dangerous historical precedents. Assad’s government has allowed pathogens normally controlled by public health measures—such as clean water, sanitation, waste disposal, vaccination, and infection control—to emerge as biological weapons through the deliberate destruction and withholding of those measures. The conflict has in effect reversed public health advances to achieve levels of disease not seen since the Napoleonic era.
460,000 Premature Deaths: The Horror That Was Nuclear Weapons Testing
In March 1954, over the Bikini Atoll, the United States detonated a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb —one thousand times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. It was the largest explosion ever set off by Americans, and also the dirtiest. Researchers have now found that, more than sixty years after the nuclear tests the United States conducted in the area, the levels of radiation in several Marshall Island atolls, exceed that found at Chernobyl or Fukushima. The United States also detonated hundreds of atomic bombs in Nevada, and a 2017 study suggested that fallout from the Nevada nuclear testing could have led to between 340,000 and 460,000 premature deaths, mostly Americans and mainly through cancer.
Lawmakers Seek Probe of Controversial Bioweapons Defense System
The Trump administration’s attempt to deploy a scientifically disputed system for detecting airborne anthrax or other infectious agents in terrorist attacks is facing increased scrutiny from a bipartisan group of House members. in a three-page letter, four Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct an in-depth scientific evaluation of the new system, called BioDetection 21. Officials from the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, signaled that they plan to open the inquiry.
How Does USAMRIID Shut Down Impact Nation’s Bioterrorism Laboratory Response Network?
The Laboratory Response Network (LRN) is a collaborative federal effort run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in cooperation with other federal agency and public health partners. The U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) Special Pathogens Laboratory at Fort Detrick is one of only three National Laboratories at the top of the protective umbrella of the LRN structure, along with those operated by the CDC and the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), responsible for specialized characterization of organisms, bioforensics, select agent activity, and handling highly infectious biological agents. It begs the question then, what happens when an important component of the nation’s biopreparedness infrastructure fails to meet CDC biosafety requirements and has its Federal Select Agent certification pulled?