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GlaxoSmithKline wins $63 million flu vaccine contract
Deal supports GSK’s adjuvant plus antigens technology; five-year contract could be worth an additional $44 million; government effort to shore up vaccine supplies continues unabated
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Senate bioterrorism panel to be eliminated
Bioterrorism oversight responsibilities to be transferred to the full Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; security analysts worry that the move may push focus on bioterror to the back burner
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New vaccine production method cuts prices dramatically
University of Central Florida scientist develops new, cheap way to mass-produce vaccines: Plants such as tobacco, lettuce, or carrots are first injected with vaccine genes; the plants are then planted in a greenhouse before being crushed and put into capsules to be taken by patients
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Biocryst wins $102 million HSS contract to develop peramivir treatments
Birmingham-based comapny will explore use of peramivir for the treatment of seasonal and severe influenzas, including bird flu; both intravenous and intramuscular formulations on the agenda
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Cornell researchers find waste treatment kills deadly avian flu
Studies on a similar but less-virulent strain show that UV, chlorine, and digesters are almost equally effective in killing it; avian flu already known to do poorly outside of host; study should lift the hopes of municipal water suppliers
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MedImmune's FluMist vaccine wins FDA approval
Nasal spray flu vaccine has been re-engineered to permit refrigerated storage; previously approved product required freezing, but this made it hard for pharmacies and schools to keep in stock; roll-out expected in August for 2007-08 flu season
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Dutch researchers use laser light to quickly identify pathogens
Device offers a unique approach to the handheld virus detection challenge; laser light interacts with antibodies to create distinctive patterns that indicate high concentrations; prototype to be developed with help from Paradocs Group
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New York researchers use copper and hydrogen peroxide to clean water
Scientists adapt the Fenton reaction to clean contaminated sites; free radicals kill bacteria but leave a lot of unwanted copper behind; resulting water is clean but not drinkable; technology will not be available for at least five years
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CDC awards $3.7 million in Biosense grants
Researchers at New York City’s Department of Health and Hygiene, the University of Utah, and Johns Hopkins University to investigate improved ways of sharing critical health surveillance data
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NYC bioterror center a model in public health planning
Citigroup provides the bulk of the financing for expanded decontamination facility at Downtown Hospital; open-air design, inspired by a similar Israeli center, permits rapid decontamination without compromising the safety of other patients
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DHS releases 2007 state and municipal grant funding levels
Urban Areas Security Initiative and Citizen Corps Program receive mild funding boosts; other programs see minor losses; DHS gives risk assessment the old college try
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Hematech clones prion-free cows
Breakthrough a major step in fighting mad cow disease; cloned animals shown at least partially immune to infection; Hematech hopes to improve the safety of its pharmaceutical line
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CBP and USDA crack down on Canadian lunches
Truckers crossing the border find their salami sandwiches under suspicion; fears of mad caw and other food-borne illness inspire scrutiny; CBP targets those already singled out for further cargo inspection
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E-capsule monitors cow health from the inside
Israeli company Veterix develops an electronic pill that reports on animal temperature, heart rate, and digestive activity; farmers receive wireless diagnostics that permit swift identification of the sick; improved monitoring of livestock health key to preventing ourbreaks of E. coli and other livestock diseases.
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Colorado researcher to test natural mustard gas cure
Milk thistle has shown remarkable ability to prevent skin cancer; $2.7 million contract will explore whether similar mechanism may obtain for mustard gas exposure; researcher hopes to create an ointment to be applied post-attack
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The long view
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Combatting the Measles Threat Means Examining the Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
Measles was supposedly eradicated in Canada more than a quarter century ago. But today, measles is surging. The cause of this resurgence is declining vaccination rates.
Social Networks Are Not Effective at Mobilizing Vaccination Uptake
The persuasive power of social networks is immense, but not limitless. Vaccine preferences, based on the COVID experience in the United States, proved quite insensitive to persuasion, even through friendship networks.
Vaccine Integrity Project Says New FDA Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines Show Lack of Consensus, Clarity
Sidestepping both the FDA’s own Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two Trump-appointed FDA leaders penned an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine to announce new, more restrictive, COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Critics say that not seeking broad input into the new policy, which would help FDA to understand its implications, feasibility, and the potential for unintended consequences, amounts to policy by proclamation.
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
“Tulsi Gabbard as US Intelligence Chief Would Undermine Efforts Against the Spread of Chemical and Biological Weapons”: Expert
The Senate, along party lines, last week confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National intelligence. One expert on biological and chemical weapons says that Gabbard’s “longstanding history of parroting Russian propaganda talking points, unfounded claims about Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and conspiracy theories all in efforts to undermine the quality of the community she now leads” make her confirmation a “national security malpractice.”