Bioterrorism Week articles from April 2003

Bioterrorism Week archives from April 2003

Miniature spectrometer can sound alert quickly.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a miniature device that can identify as little as a fraction of a spore of anthrax and other biological hazards...

FDA issues new security guidance as part of Operation Liberty Shield.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As part of its continuing efforts to ensure the safety and security of the U.S. food supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of four guidance documents...

Leaky sensor could prevent bio-weapon false alarm.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new way to detect tiny numbers of harmful bacteria, such as those that cause food poisoning or those used as biological weapons, has been devised by analytical scientists at UMIST. Dr. Mohammed...

Personal chemical agent detector ready for trials.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A chemical agent detector, potentially no larger than the wallet you carry in your pocket, is in development with support of the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR). The device is designed with an...

American Red Cross prepares to handle the unexpected.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Red Cross is working with communities nationwide to make them safer from disaster through the "Together We Prepare" program. A multiplatform program, "Together We Prepare" encourages...

Protection against biological and chemical attack much improved.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. troops are much better prepared to protect themselves against biological and chemical attack than they were during the Gulf War. However, their defenses remain untested in battle, and critics say...

Sensitive, inexpensive, lab-on-a-chip warns of toxic chemicals in water.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A highly sensitive, inexpensive "lab-on-a-chip" that provides warning within seconds of even trace amounts of toxic chemicals in water was designed and demonstrated recently by U.S. National Institute...

New crystalline structures may open door to molecular filters.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Imagine a mask that could allow a person to breathe the oxygen in the air without the risk of inhaling a toxic gas, bacterium, or even a virus. Effectively filtering different kinds of molecules has...

Biodefense center opens in Maryland.(Battelle)
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A company that has worked extensively with the U.S. military on biodefense projects has opened a center dedicated to developing devices to detect chemical and biological weapons. The $22 million...

The spice of life: Antibody cocktail targets deadly germs.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the future, consumers may be adding a powerful "spice" to their food that could save lives. Researchers in Canada are developing a natural antibody cocktail that can help prevent the most common...

U.S. food supply said vulnerable.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Congressional auditors say the U.S. food supply is vulnerable to terrorist attacks partly because the government cannot ensure the security of processing plants. The General Accounting Office (GAO)...

Rights acquired for only FDA-approved natural alpha interferon product.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., (HEB) has acquired certain assets from Interferon Sciences, Inc., (IFSC), including the rights to its patented drug, the Alferon N Injection, approved by the U.S. Food and...

Electrostatic spray apparatus quickly decontaminates toxins from skin.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new electrostatic spray apparatus that could save lives after a terrorist attack involving chemical or biological weapons has been developed. Dr. Ed Law, a University of Georgia, U.S.A.,...

2003 omnibus appropriations bill underwrites nanoscience research.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. and Western Michigan University (WMU) have been notified of grant funding for their joint development of nanosensors for detecting chemical and biological weapons and an...

Agreement signed for vaccinia immune globulin; European alliance announced.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cangene Corporation (TSX: CNJ) announced that it has concluded an agreement with Acambis plc to market Cangene's vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) product in markets outside of North America and Israel and...

NIH grant provided for drug to protect people at risk from smallpox vaccine.
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Elusys Therapeutics, Inc., has received $1.2 million from the U.S. National Institutes for Health (NIH) to support its development of a drug to protect people at risk of serious complications from the...

Pace of inoculations picks up.(smallpox)
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The pace of smallpox shots for U.S. health care workers is picking up, with vaccinations under way in all but one state, federal health officials say. Still, with nearly 21,698 workers vaccinated so...

ACAM2000 completes phase I trial.(smallpox vaccine)
April 7, 2003... 2003 APR 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acambis, plc, (ACAM) announced that it has completed a phase I trial of its smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000. The trial assessed the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of ACAM2000 in adult subjects...

Federal agencies begin bioterrorism test.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A crop-duster plane flew over Oklahoma carrying a mixture of clay, water, and alcohol for an Army bioterrorism test of whether radar would detect clouds of biological or chemical weapons. The...

Scientist says recent UNC research suggests better treatment.(University of North Carolina)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research conducted at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill on rats suggests that a promising new treatment for nerve agent toxicity may exist, and scientists involved in the...

Tumor endothelium marker 8 lacking cytoplasmic tail still binds anthrax toxin.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell surface tumor endothelium marker 8 without the cytoplasmic tail still binds anthrax toxin. According to a study from the United States, "The interaction of anthrax toxin protective antigen...

HHS to test handheld devices for transmitting urgent information to clinicians.(Health and Human Services)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced that HHS will begin testing a system using handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) for transmitting...

Monoclonal antibody drug effective against anthrax.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cambridge Antibody Technology (CATG) acknowledged the announcement by Human Genome Sciences, Inc., (HGSI) that it has discovered and developed a human monoclonal antibody drug, ABthrax, that is...

New emergency escape mask helps everyone protect themselves.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rather than wait for the next biochemical terrorism attack, similar to the 1995 chemical attack in the Tokyo subway system, consumers are being asked to "take charge" of their own personal safety and...

DARPA provides funding for autonomous pathogen detection systems.( Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MicroFluidic Systems, Inc., (MFSI), a privately held company, announced that it has received a contract for $1.5 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of a...

Memorial Blood Centers to provide blood to the military.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Memorial Blood Centers is part of a national agreement between the U.S. military and America's Blood Centers, a network of community blood centers that collects nearly half of the nation's blood...

Red Cross prepares to handle the unexpected.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services is prepared for potential donor surges in the event of international conflict. Because a safe and adequate blood supply is a large part...

Improved molecular beacons show promise for cancer detection, rapid viral diagnosis.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diagnosing cancer may one day involve introducing "molecular beacons" into the body and then watching for specific optical or magnetic signals as the nanometer-scale structures latch onto the unique...

Local emergency service is prepared for war-related incidents.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ambulance operator American Medical Response (AMR) is fully prepared to address any incidents that may occur in Southern California as a result of war in Iraq. Using a template developed on the...

Joint conference highlights dentists' response to bioterror attack.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dental offices and dental schools could serve as mini hospitals in the event of a significant bioterror attack, because they contain such needed resources as sterilization equipment, air and gas lines,...

Lab expanded to pursue growth into new chemical, biological filters.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Circul-Aire, Inc. is undertaking a significant modernization and expansion of its Quality Control, Testing, and R&D Laboratory. Prompted by last year's record sales in replacement filtering media,...

Food safety company reports record third quarter, 25% increase in net income.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neogen Corp. (NEOG) announced that net income for the third quarter of its 2003 fiscal year, which ended February 28, was 25% higher than the previous year's third quarter. Net income per share...

Health officials fear U.S. unprepared for botulism attack.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Easy to find and easy to produce, botulinum toxin is the most poisonous natural substance on Earth. In the hands of a bioterrorist, a single gram - the weight of a paper clip - could kill more than 1...

Gold "nanoplugs" could yield biosensors with greater sensitivity, specificity.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at Hebrew University, Israel, in collaboration with researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, have devised a way to use gold nanoparticles as tiny...

N.H. State officials say they are ready to respond to bioterror.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New Hampshire health officials say they are taking the threat of bioterrorism very seriously and are prepared to respond should it be used in the state. "We really have been in the mode since the...

Organization announces new subcommittee for counter terrorism respirators.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As the terror alert warnings glow orange then yellow then orange again, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has offered a number of suggestions for items we might want to stock up on in case of a...

Desmoglein is a target in autoimmunity and also in staphylococcal infection.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Desmoglein is a target in autoimmunity and also in staphylococcal infection. According to a study from Japan, "Clinical phenotypes of most diseases are complex. However, once the mechanism behind...

Anticipatory vaccination recommended for segments of populations.
April 14, 2003... 2003 APR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Virologists in Britain recommend that segments of populations in areas that might be considered targets for bioterrorism should be vaccinated against smallpox. P.P. Mortimer and colleagues asked,...

Scientist judges terror threat a valid one.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Until a few years ago the threat to use microbes as biological weapons was practically ignored by doctors and scientists working in medicine and public health. Today there is every reason to believe...

Too few doctors know how to respond to a terrorist attack.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Not enough U.K. medical staff are aware of their role in the event of a terrorist attack, according to a research letter. Researchers surveyed 107 doctors in North Bristol NHS Trust about the...

Heteropolymer data presented at international anthrax meeting.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Elusys Therapeutics, Inc., presented data on its anthrax drug for the first time at the 5th International Conference on Anthrax in Nice, France. "The data show that our anthrax drug works in...

Consistent financing, markets, indemnity needed for biodefense vaccine developers.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biotechnology companies are well suited to address the modest commercial opportunities offered by creating safer, more effective, and less costly vaccines for biodefense. However, the ultimate...

Company responds to concerns about vaccinia transmission through blood.(smallpox)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bayer Biological Products (BP) announced today that it initiated studies earlier this year to confirm that its manufacturing technologies successfully inactivate vaccinia, the live virus utilized in...

Researchers find second anthrax toxin receptor.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Building on their 2001 discovery of a cellular doorway used by anthrax toxin to enter cells, University of Wisconsin Medical School researchers have found a second anthrax toxin doorway, or receptor....

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus used as vector in anthrax vaccine.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Vaccines using Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus as a vector protected mice against challenge with Bacillus anthracis, according to a report in...

Researcher publishes review of Bacillus anthracis.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A review of Bacillus anthracis, including vaccination strategies to protect against illness, has been published recently. According to a study from England, "The events of 11 September 2001 and...

Next-generation biological and chemical sensors closer to meeting market need.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The use of biological, chemical, and gas sensors has been well established for several decades in numerous industries, yet, in terms of its potential, the market remains in its infancy. High-tech...

Blood, IV infusion warmer runs on batteries.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Military Forces in Iraq have an angel on their side. It's a medical device, called the Thermal Angel, that is being extensively used by the Marines to treat casualties in their portable...

Blood center receives first request for blood to help military.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bonfils Blood Center has been asked to provide blood to help support the military blood needs during the current war in Iraq. Bonfils Blood Center, in conjunction with a national agreement made by...

Purification of activated Clostridium botulinum serotype B toxin achieved.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The fully activated serotype B toxin was column purified for use on patients with dystonia. "Clostridium botulinum serotype B toxins 12S and 16S were separated by using a beta-lactose gel column at...

Terror threat extends to common chemicals, officials warn.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nerve agents like VX and sarin gas are scary terrorist threats, but a top federal official is more worried about chemicals that travel U.S. highways every day. "They are just as lethal," said Jerry...

USAMRMC gives grant to develop Protexia.(U.S. Army Medical Research Materiel Command )
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nexia Biotechnologies, Inc., (NXB) announced that it was awarded a CND$3.94 million (US$2.67 million) research contract from the U.S. Army Medical Research Materiel Command (USAMRMC) to develop...

Smallpox planning detracts from core goals, officials say.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Federally mandated smallpox preparations are stealing scarce resources away from essential public health efforts such as childhood immunizations and tuberculosis prevention, health officials across the...

U.S. military bars vaccine for some.(smallpox)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. military has decided to bar people with strong risks of heart disease from being inoculated against smallpox after three deaths from heart attacks possibly linked to the vaccine. ...

Progressive vaccinia more likely in patients with cell-mediated immunodeficiency.
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Among patients with immune disorders, including AIDS, progressive vaccinia is more likely in those with cell-mediated immunodeficiency. "The resumption of smallpox vaccination for health care...

Review outlines smallpox vaccination impacts on patients with organ transplants.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... 2003 APR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A review outlining the smallpox vaccinations recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the impact of the smallpox vaccination program on organ transplant patients has been...