Bioterrorism Week articles from March 2004

Bioterrorism Week archives from March 2004

SECEBT receives nearly $1 million for bioterror studies.
March 1, 2004... 2004 MAR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new 1-year federal grant of nearly $1 million will help the Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats (SECEBT) fulfill its mission of combating emerging infectious diseases and potential...

Scientists developing bacteria detection device.
March 1, 2004... 2004 MAR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Jay Glasel envisions a day when supermarket employees will be able to scan meat packages to determine whether the food is contaminated with dangerous bacteria. That may happen soon, as Glasel, an...

ImmuneRegen appoints new member to its scientific advisory board.
March 1, 2004... 2004 MAR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., has appointed Elizabeth Ceilley, MD, a radiation oncology specialist, to assist the company with its development of Homspera for the use of treating acute radiation...

Soldier who refused anthrax vaccine off to Iraq.
March 1, 2004... 2004 MAR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The United States Army dropped one charge against an Ohio National Guard member convicted once and charged again with disobeying a lawful order after he refused to take the anthrax vaccine, then...

Biomedical company announces new member of board of directors.
March 1, 2004... 2004 MAR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Response Biomedical Corp. (RBM) announced the appointment of Stan Yakatan, chairman of U.S.-based Katan Associates International, to the company's board of directors. The company also announced...

B. anthracis spores can germinate, grow and reproduce in soil.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, nothing beats the inside of a warm human or animal host for triggering an intense spurt of rapid growth and reproductive activity. But when a...

Surface layer protein EA1 is not component of Bacillus anthracis spores.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surface layer protein EA1 is not a component of Bacillus anthracis spores but is a persistent contaminant in spore preparations. According to a study from the United States, "EA1 is an abundant,...

World food safety experts offer new methods to assess risk.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New methods are in the pipeline to improve the safety of the world's food supply, and the need is imminent, says the director of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center at Michigan State...

Surveillance and containment would be effective against deliberate attack.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the event of a large, intentional release of smallpox, the current U.S. government policy of post-release surveillance and containment, if quickly implemented, would be sufficient to prevent a...

Medicine may be handled by post office in national emergency.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Postal Service is working on a plan to deliver antibiotics and other medicine to supplement local public health programs in the event of a catastrophe, officials said February 18, 2004. The...

Ebola virus-like particles protect from lethal Ebola virus infection.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ebola virus-like particles protected against lethal Ebola virus infection. According to recent research from the United States, "The filovirus Ebola causes hemorrhagic fever with 70-80% human...

Infection with Ebola virus persists under conditions of partial immunity.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infection with the Ebola virus persists under conditions of partial immunity. According to a study from the United States, "Ebola hemorrhagic fever in humans is associated with high mortality;...

Novel Ebola virus-like particles produced from cDNAs.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have produced novel Ebola virus-like particles from cDNAs, which an alternative to Ebola virus generation by reverse genetics. "We established a plasmid-based system for generating...

Albuferon maker reports increased net loss in 2003.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc., (HGSI) announced financial results for the quarter and full year periods ended December 31, 2003, and provided guidance for financial results anticipated for the full year...

Wearable air-conditioners: Hot, new microtechnology keeps GIs cool.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Personal protective suits may protect soldiers from chemical and biological weapons, yet extreme heat inside that gear poses a different but equal threat. Without portable cooling technology to ward off...

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center acquires biotechnology firm.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has acquired important gene regulation technology, thanks to a donation from specialty chemical company Rohm and Haas Co. The donation is the...

Discovery could lead to better treatment for cryptosporidum infections.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In 1993, a water-borne parasite in Milwaukee was responsible for an estimated 403,000 cases of acute gastrointestinal disease, and the outbreak revealed that patients with AIDS are at an especially...

Few cases of vaccinia transfer reported.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Except rarely and after very close contact with a smallpox vaccine, the virus in smallpox vaccine does not spread to others, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Laser method identifies, counts toxic molecules.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A spectroscopy technique that offers advances in detection of toxic chemicals and counting of molecules has been demonstrated by a U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientist...

SMD technology plus lab card device to provide diagnosis of organisms.
March 8, 2004... 2004 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Centrex, Inc., (CNEX) announced that Micronics, Inc., has advanced the development of an assay that contains Centrex's single molecule nucleic acid detection (SMD) technology for application in a...

Company to commercialize chemical weapon decontamination technology.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genencor International, Inc., (GCOR) and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) have signed an exclusive license to manufacture and sell enzymes to decontaminate certain...

Physicians decline smallpox vaccination due to inadequate benefits.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physicians decline smallpox vaccination because they do not see sufficient benefits from the vaccine. According to published research from the United States, "From February to April 2003, we...

NIAID bioterrorism grant to fund a new plasmapheresis device.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has approved a $1 million, 2-year grant submitted by HemoCleanse, Inc., to develop a novel plasmapheresis device designed specifically to treat...

New assay better than ELISA for measuring antibodies to anthrax toxins.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A fluorescence covalent microbead immunosorbent assay (FCMIA) was more rapid and efficient than an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measurement of human immunoglobulin G antibodies to anthrax...

Molecular diagnostic products company reports increased revenues for year.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nanogen, Inc., (NGEN), a developer of molecular diagnostic products, announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2003. Total revenues for the quarter ended...

Q2 revenues up 9% over same quarter last year for ion-technology company.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Implant Sciences Corp. (IMX) announced financial results for the 3 and 6 months ended December 31, 2003. "We are pleased with the progress made on the explosives detection front," stated Dr....

Biopharmaceutical company announces preliminary 2003 financial results.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VaxGen, Inc., (VXGN) announced preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2003. The company expects to report a sharp increase in earned revenues as a result...

Grant to support human polyclonal antibody development in chickens.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Origen Therapeutics, Inc, has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the U.S. National Institutes...

Study shows no vaccinia viremia after smallpox vaccination.
March 15, 2004... 2004 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results from a recent study revealed no vaccinia viremia after smallpox vaccination. According to a study from the United States, "Although the transmission of certain viral infections (human...

Study suggests better use of web could improve epidemiological tracking.
March 22, 2004... 2004 MAR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Better disease reporting information on state health departments' web sites could help physicians more quickly and easily determine how, when and where to report infectious diseases that may represent...

Serological correlate of protection in rabbits for anthrax vaccine identified.
March 22, 2004... 2004 MAR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have identified a serological correlate of protection in rabbits for a recombinant anthrax vaccine. According to a study from the United States, "In these studies, a serological...

Pharmaceutical company acquires assets of biotechnology company.
March 22, 2004... 2004 MAR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Protez Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has acquired the assets of Influx, Inc., a Chicago, Illinois-based biotechnology company. The acquisition of Influx provides Protez with a strong foundation of...

Studies highlight impact of September 11, Iraq war on adolescents.
March 22, 2004... 2004 MAR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three months after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in the United States, 10% of black adolescents attending an inner-city Southern high school were reporting clinically significant symptoms of...

HHS will lead effort to enhance bioterror research in "dual use" funding.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced that HHS will lead a government-wide effort to put in place improved biosecurity measures for classes of legitimate...

New inoculations show promise.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tests of an experimental smallpox vaccine have produced encouraging results in monkeys and mice. The discovery may lead to an alternative for humans unable to receive current smallpox vaccines. ...

Phase I clinical trial results of anthrax vaccine candidate reported.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VaxGen, Inc., (VXGN) announced results of its phase I trial of recombinant Protective Antigen anthrax vaccine, rPA102, at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID) in...

World Trade Center attack linked to rise in irregular heartbeats in Florida patients.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the month after the attack on the World Trade Center, millions grappled with the emotional heartache of a national tragedy. Scientists now have discovered new evidence of physical consequences for...

FDA-licensed anthrax vaccine supplied to Taiwan.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioPort Corporation announced the sale of U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed anthrax vaccine, BioThrax, to the Taiwanese government, marking the company's entry into the commercial market...

NIOSH approves mask for protection from biological, chemical, and nuclear attack.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first gas mask intended to protect emergency personnel from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents was approved by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health...

EPA awards contract for development of anthrax decontamination product.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NanoBio Corporation has been awarded a $70,000, 6-month contract from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This phase I award is from the EPA's Small Business Innovation Research...

Agreement reached for development of biodefense pathogen, filtration device.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aethlon Medical, Inc., (AEMD) announced that it has entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Center for Biodefense (NCBD) at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia. Under the...

NIH grant awarded to expand development of antianthrax antibodies.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avanir Pharmaceuticals (AVN) announced the award of an additional $750,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

Ex-professor to be sentenced in missing plague vials case.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 100 letters of support for Thomas Butler, MD, whose report of missing vials of plague bacteria last year sparked a bioterrorism scare, have been sent to the judge who will sentence him. ...

Clinical trial of smallpox vaccines to be conducted in St. Louis.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at Saint Louis University are seeking 90 volunteers for a trial for a potential new smallpox vaccine. Two investigational vaccines will be studied as part of the clinical trial at the...

Recommendations issued on development of drugs for vaccine side effects.
March 29, 2004... 2004 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued draft guidance for the development of drugs to treat the side effects of vaccination against smallpox with vaccinia virus. The need for drugs to...