Recent News

By Category: Countermeasures

New Anthrax Vaccine Candidate Announced in China

Chinese scientists recently announced the development of a new protein combination that acts against anthrax as both a vaccine and antitoxin, Reuters reported (see GSN, Sept. 20). “We have developed a novel and dually functional reagent for the prophylaxis and treatment of anthrax,” said researcher Gaobing Wu of the Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuzan. The Read More »

September 22, 2010
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Biotechnology, Countermeasures, and Research
Share

BARDA funds medical countermeasure innovation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced the first eight contract awards under an initiative to help modernize and improve the nation’s infrastructure for producing medical countermeasures that protect against natural and man-made biological threats.

September 21, 2010
| Filed under North America and Countermeasures
Share

Scientists to Scour Ocean For Biodefense Material

Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a San Diego biotechnology firm have received nearly $30 million in U.S. Defense Department funding to search the ocean floor for bacteria that could be used to produce antibiotics against biological weapons agents, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 20). For the next four Read More »

September 21, 2010
| Filed under North America, Biotechnology, Countermeasures, and Research
Share

Firm Wins Contract for Work on Modified Anthrax Vaccine

Maryland biopharmaceutical firm Emergent BioSolutions last week announced it had received a federal contract valued as high as $28.7 million to conduct further work on a modified version of its anthrax vaccine, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported (see GSN, July 14). The “third-generation” vaccine would incorporate BioThrax, now the only anthrax Read More »

September 8, 2010
| Filed under Countermeasures and Research
Share

Genomic test developed to prevent bioterrorism

Researchers are working on develop a genomic test that can quickly determine whether a disease outbreak is caused by a natural pathogen or one that was grown in a lab by terrorists; the test is designed to provide homeland security and public health officials with the tools they need quickly to determine how to respond Read More »