Bioterrorism Week articles from August 2004

Bioterrorism Week archives from August 2004

U.S. mayors support anthrax vaccine for police, firefighters.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As the United States military announced plans to expand its soldiers' anthrax and smallpox immunization program, the growing debate about how best to protect America's police and firefighters has also...

Vaccine safety research more important after 11 September 2001.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research to develop safer vaccines is more important after the events of 11 September 2001. "As immunization programs world-wide 'mature' with high vaccine coverage and near elimination of...

Congress OKs bill to create vaccines, antidotes to biological, chemical weapons.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enough new-generation anthrax vaccine to dose 25 million people: That's first on the U.S. government's shopping list under a massive new program to develop and stockpile antidotes to biological and...

New York City completes $16 million upgrade of bioterrorism lab.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New York City has completed a $16 million renovation of its bioterrorism laboratory, ending the need for suspicious substances to be sent away for testing, officials said. The lab, inside the...

Biosafety lab expansion, patent issuance and biodefense reagents sale announced.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc., (NASDAQ: CBTE) announced completion of its new virology biosafety level 3 laboratory within its accredited BSL-3 suite. Construction and fit-out of the new lab...

Invitrogen creates Biological Defense Systems Inc. subsidiary.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Invitrogen Corporation (IVGN) announced the formation of Biological Defense Systems Inc. (BDS), a new venture that will consolidate and expand the company's biosecurity applications, leveraging...

MSA to supply U.S. Air Force, Navy with MCU-2/P chemical/biological gas mask.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MSA has successfully negotiated a multiple-year contract to supply U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel with the MCU-2/P chemical/biological gas mask. MSA is being awarded a $42,017,698 indefinite...

New contracts announced for biodefense-related contract work.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc., (NASDAQ SmallCap Market: CBTE) announced additional new biodefense related contract work. The new contracts total nearly $1.2 million and are with government and...

U.S. state governments receive antidotes against chemical weapons.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American state governments are beginning to receive long-awaited federal shipments of antidotes against chemical weapons, under a program that aims to have stocks in every state within 2 years. The...

National Bioinformatics Resource Center to support infectious disease research.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and its partners have been awarded a 5-year, $10.3 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),...

Regulatory consensus, education needed for consistent food safety.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Conflicting regulation from local, state and federal authorities can cause inconsistent safety practices in the food retail business, but aggressive education can allow food handlers to better comply...

Malignant hematopoietic disease from internal exposure to Pu-239 uncertain.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Development of malignant hematopoietic disease from internal exposure to Pu-239 is still uncertain. According to recent research published in the journal Health Physics, "Neither Fisher's Exact...

Study to evaluate vaccination methods for most vulnerable in bioterrorist attack.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have been awarded a $10 million program grant to investigate methods for vaccinating those most susceptible to biological attacks or natural...

Nanoprobe creates world of new possibilities.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A technology with proven environmental, forensics and medical applications has received a shot in the arm because of an invention by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National...

SIGA announces the appointment of Bernard L. Kasten, MD as CEO.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SIGA Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ: SIGA) announced the appointment of Bernard L. Kasten, MD, as its chief executive officer. Kasten joins SIGA following eight years at Quest Diagnostics where he was...

New report outlines steps needed to lessen smallpox threat.
August 2, 2004... 2004 AUG 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The best approach for averting the deadly spread of smallpox following release of the virus by terrorists may rest with the establishment of a major collaborative research effort to develop new...

Immunological memory promotes immunity by anthrax antigen-based vaccine.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunological memory contributes to the protective immunity conferred by a Bacillus anthracis protective antigen-based vaccine. "Protective antigen (PA)-based vaccination is an effective...

Oral vaccine may protect against respiratory disease, potential biowarfare agent.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new experimental vaccine may protect against brucellosis in humans say researchers from Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, Maryland. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis, the causative...

Bioinformatics center to focus on biothreat pathogens.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) has signed a contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to establish and...

Rapid inactivation method for vaccinia virus developed.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have developed a method for the rapid inactivation of vaccinia virus in suspension and dried on surfaces. "A bioterrorist attack with smallpox virus would be disastrous with a 30%...

PCR method to detect orthopoxviruses and smallpox virus developed.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have developed a real-time PCR method for the detection of orthopoxviruses and simultaneous identification of smallpox virus. According to a study from the United States, Germany, and...

Swab materials and Bacillus anthracis spore recovery efficiency compared.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers compare swab materials and Bacillus anthracis spore recovery from nonporous surfaces in a recent issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. "Four swab materials were evaluated for their...

Antibodies against anthrax protective antigen promote macrophage death.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A subset of monoclonal antibodies against anthrax protective antigen increases lethal toxin-mediated killing of murine macrophages. "We investigated the ability of using monoclonal antibodies...

Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin maintained in multimeric protein complex.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin is maintained in a multimeric protein complex. According to a study from the U.S., "Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin (TcsL) is distinct among large clostridial...

Report shows bioterrorism preparedness progress lacking in rural areas.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rural counties in Kansas receive low marks in bioterrorism preparedness because they lack the resources to respond to an incident, a report released by state health officials said. Researchers...

Safeguards against BSE strengthened by U.S. agencies.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced that three actions are being taken to further strengthen existing...

U.S. NIH awards $13.6 million contract for web-based biomedical data services.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SRA International, Inc. (SRX), a provider of information technology services to federal government organizations, has been awarded a competitive contract by the National Institute of Allergy and...

Dermal multipotent cell transplant promotes recovery after sublethal irradiation.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dermal multipotent cell transplantation promotes hematopoietic recovery after sublethal irradiation. "Our previous study indicated that dermal multipotent cells with the differentiation capacity to...

Diltiazem prevents gamma radiation-induced anemia.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diltiazem prevents gamma radiation-induced anemia. "Intraperitoneal administration of diltiazem (DTZ), half an hour prior to whole body gamma irradiation (2.5, 5.0, & 7.5 Gy)," protected animals...

Biochemical and functional analyses of smallpox growth factor conducted.
August 9, 2004... 2004 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have conducted biochemical and functional analyses of smallpox growth factor (SPGF) and anti-SPGF monoclonal antibodies. According to published research from the United States, "Variola,...

Research shows progress toward early identification of anthrax inhalation.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Authors of a research letter outline progress in the ability to rapidly detect anthrax inhalation in the event of bioterrorist attacks. Limiting the effects of a bioterrorist anthrax attack will...

Phase 1 clinical trial with bivalent anthrax vaccine initiated.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vical Incorporated, (NVICL) has initiated of a phase 1 clinical trial with its DNA vaccine for anthrax. The trial will test the vaccine in up to 52 healthy adult volunteers for safety and immune...

Proteomic research centers target bioterrorism agents.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech $2.89 million as part of an $8.74 million contract with...

Officials should weigh scope of change when considering biotech proposals.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Federal regulators should look more closely at the potential health effects of some genetically modified plants before they can be grown as commercial crops, a scientific advisory panel said. It...

Heath officials lead bioterrorism seminar.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health officials in the 16 counties surrounding North Platte, Nebraska, want to make sure everyone is prepared if the area were to be attacked with bioterrorism. More than 50 people from area...

Government wants mental health experts to keep distance from accused terrorists.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, who was arrested at a flight training school in Minnesota, should not be examined by defense mental health experts while his trial is on hold, prosecutors told a...

DOR Biopharma announces management changes.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The board of directors of DOR BioPharma, Inc., has accepted the resignation of Ralph M. Ellison, MD, as president, CEO, and a director of DOR and its subsidiaries. Ellison was appointed CEO in...

FDA grants fast track designation for smallpox vaccine candidate IMVAMUNE.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bavarian Nordic has received fast track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its investigational new drug application covering the company's third-generation smallpox vaccine...

Time effects of vaccination exist on T cell memory to smallpox.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists report distinct time effects of vaccination on long-term proliferative and IFN-gamma-producing T cell memory to smallpox in humans. According to a study from France, "Residual immunity...

$3M Congressional appropriation to support antibody development programs.
August 16, 2004... 2004 AUG 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hematech, LLC, announced that the House and Senate conference committee on the FY 2005 Defense Department Appropriations bill has included $3 million to support Hematech's antibody development...

Company awarded NIH grant to develop anthrax vaccine.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cerus Corp. (CERS) announced the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the company $3.8 million to develop an...

Study finds ample opportunities for life science suppliers in biodefense market.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biodefense research is one of the fastest growing markets for suppliers of life science products and instrumentation. BioInformatics, LLC recently conducted a survey of currently funded biodefense...

Vaccine fully protects mice from lethal aerosol challenge with ricin toxin.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have developed an experimental vaccine against ricin, a potential biological threat agent, which fully protected mice from aerosol challenge with lethal doses of the toxin. The study was...

Modified vaccinia ankara shows potential as alternative smallpox vaccine.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Modified vaccinia ankara shows potential as an alternative smallpox vaccine. According to recent research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, "Despite the declaration of smallpox...

CDC makes advances in identifying and measuring chemical agents in humans.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Journal of Analytical Toxicology have collaborated on a special edition of the journal devoted to assessing human exposure to chemical...

Beta-actin promoter plus regulatory element enhances efficacy of DNA vaccines.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The hybrid cytomegalovirus enhancer/chicken beta-actin promoter along with woodchuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element enhances the protective efficacy of DNA vaccines. "DNA...

CDC building new infectious disease lab in Colorado.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The government broke ground on an $80 million laboratory that will replace the aging Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bioterrorism facility in Fort Collins. The four-story lab will...

Symptoms of food-borne botulism may help predict fatality.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The extreme toxicity of botulism makes it a potentially lethal type of food poisoning - and a possible agent of bioterrorist attack. Data from the Republic of Georgia suggest that an infected...

Full promise of genomics in disease research yet to be realized.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Over the past decade, genomics has revolutionized our understanding of how microorganisms cause disease. However, genomic studies need to be extended to a more diverse array of microorganisms and...

Vaccinia and variola viruses epitope protects against lethal vaccinia virus.
August 23, 2004... 2004 AUG 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunization with a single CD8+ T-cell peptide epitope of vaccinia and variola viruses protected against lethal vaccinia virus challenge in HLA-A2 transgenic mice. According to a study from the...

Automated detection system devised for biowarfare agents.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An automated system has been devised for detection of biowarfare agents. According to researchers in California, an "automated sample preparation module, based upon sequential injection analysis...

Vaccine protects mice against virulent Brucella melitensis.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oral vaccination with Brucella melitensis WR201 protects mice against intranasal challenge with virulent Brucella melitensis 16M. "Human brucellosis can be acquired from infected animal tissues by...

Nebraska proposes 10-state bioterrorism alliance.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nebraska will use federal funding to work on developing a 10-state regional alliance to provide mutual aid in the event of bioterrorism or other public health emergencies, Governor Mike Johanns...

Nanosphere expands contract with TSWG, receives $750K grant from NIAID.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nanosphere has expanded its multi-million dollar development contract with the U.S. Government Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) and announced the receipt of a $750,000 Phase II grant from the...

Vaccination blitz: 13,312 inoculations over 2 1/2 days.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Doctors and nurses vaccinated 13,312 children around Louisiana during a three-day drive. That was more than 12% above last year's 3-day total of 11,846. The public health region centered in...

Company specializing in single molecule DNA analysis appoints board members.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OpGen, Inc., announced that James T. Ogle, CEO of INC Research, a global contract research organization (CRO) specializing in central nervous system and oncology clinical trials, and Thomas F. Pyle,...

FDA accepts BLA filing for Vaccinia Immune Globulin.
August 30, 2004... 2004 AUG 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted DynPort Vaccine Co.'s (DVC) filing of a biologics license application for Vaccinia Immune Globulin...