Public health

Affinium wins $4.8 DTRA contract to fight tularemia
Company will begin preclinical development using an existing portfolio of fatty biosysnthesis inhibitors; end goal is an oral tularemia therapeutic; effort builds on previous work for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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SAIC wins $53 million deal to move WMD models on-line
Integrated Weapons of Mass Destruction Toolset has been in development since 2004; moving on-line critical to dispersing data to first responders; physics-based models assess terrain, wind patterns, and other factors
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Low morale plagues DHS agriculture workers
Merger into Customs and Border Protection a major source of problems; agriculturalists see mission overshadowed by other CBP priorities; DHS says problems were expected
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AWWA and ASCE publish draft water safety regulations
Third phase of voluntary standards covers physical security at water and wastewater industries; grant program funded by EPA; interested parties have until June to comment
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Michigan professor offers polymerase assay for fifty pathogens
Portable, polymerase-based, hand-held device relies on a DNA biochip; flexibility a major selling point; field testing to be done by university spin-off AquaBioChip
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Multiple approaches needed to fight E. Coli, say Illinois scientists
No single approach consistently meets FDA requirements; combining technologies ensures swift pathogen death; ultrasound, electrolyzed water, and irradiation among studied methods
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Battelle wins $500 million contract to manage new Ft. Detrick lab
National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center currently under construction; company receives base contract award of $250 million over five years, plus options; Battelle a major player in the lab management game
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HHS cancels Vaxgen's anthrax contract
$877 million project a near total loss; VaxGen claims to be well-capitalized to weather the storm; with an IPO coming, Emergent looks better than ever
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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PAR and Carrier agree on truck monitoring terms
PAR expands its North American presence with a deal to link-up with Carrier’s refrigerated trucks
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Vortex takes its water purification business across the pond
Norway-based Cool Chili buys the exclusive rights to Vortex’s patented UltraviOzone technology; system catalyzes ozone with ultraviolet light before infusing the water with pure oxygen; DHS funds the technology hoping to develop improved water safety regimes
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Researchers find microinjection efficient at delivering anthrax vaccine
Compared with intramuscular delivery, microneedles are just as effective but require less vaccine; results an important step forward in developing and maintaining a working stockpile
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TFAH cites major problems with state pandemic planning
Shortages of hospital beds and nurses top the list; flu vaccination rates decline in thirteen states, as does public health spending; Trust for America’s Health offers recommendations for improved preparedness
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Researchers locate anthrax's Achilles' heal
Bacteria a master at using siderophores to extract iron from human hosts; researchers identify stealth protein that ovecomes human defenses; discovery could lead to improved drugs and testing
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Frost and Sullivan offers report on WMD detection market
Business is booming, particularly in the federal sector; some end users, however, are shying away from the sometimes unreliable technology; research firm suggests industry needs better PR
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