Advanced Life Sciences Receives Complete Response Letter From FDA for Restanza(TM) (Cethromycin) in Community Acquired Pneumonia Aug 1, 2009
In parallel, the Company will continue to advance Restanza as a biodefense agent against anthrax, plague and tularemia ... Dr. Flavin continued, "We remain encouraged by the supportive comments made by AIDAC committee members in June relative to their positive view of the safety profile of Restanza, the therapeutic need for more effective treatments for CAP and their interest in seeing the Company pursue further development. We continue to receive strong support from our commercial partner Wyeth... (PR Newswire)
Corvallis biotech firm to move R&D, headquarters to Seattle (110) Jul 31, 2009
AVI s Corvallis laboratories and production facilities will remain fully operational and will be dedicated to biodefense contracts and drug supply ... Biodefense is a major part of our business, he said. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Former lab worker charged with vandalism in Calif. Jul 29, 2009
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Texas consortium protesting the Homeland Security Department's choice of Kansas for a multimillion-dollar biodefense lab. The judge decided the lawsuit was premature and dismissed it without prejudice, opening the way for the Texas Bio- and Agro-Defense Consortium to refile the lawsuit later, which the group said it may do. (Fresno Bee -- State)
PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and Crucell to test new malaria vaccine approach Jul 29, 2009
AdVac technology is a vaccine technology developed by Crucell and is considered to play an important role in the fight against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and in biodefense. The technology supports the practice of inserting genetic material from the disease-causing virus or parasite into a 'vehicle' called a vector, which then delivers the immunogenic material directly to the immune system. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
PharmAthene secures $19M to help with debt Jul 28, 2009
Biodefense company said it has received $19 ... In November, PharmaAthene (AMEX: PIP) said signed a deal with Ltd. to commercialize its biodefense drugs in Israel. (Baltimore Business Journal, MD)
Chemists Say Antibody Surrogates Are Just A 'Click' Away Jul 15, 2009
They report their findings at the 2005 American Society for Microbiology Biodefense. (June 13, 2007) Blood-based antibody detection tests for tuberculosis (TB) have come under the spotlight in a research article published in PLoS Medicine. (Science Daily)
Researchers map how staph infections alter immune system Jul 14, 2009
Researchers from the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, Baylor National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Cooperative Center for Translational Research on Human Immunology and Biodefense, the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research and the Baylor Research Institute also contributed. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Lupus Research and the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. (EurekAlert!)
New Drug Fights Anthrax Toxin Jul 10, 2009
Mingtao Zeng, an assistant professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said this study has provided solid data to support raxibacumab as a new candidate drug for biodefense and public health ... "This paradigm of drug approval for biodefense agents provides a new way to address such threats, though questions remain about how and when to use such drugs and how to incentivize industry to produce them," Nabel said. (MEDLINEplus)
Biotech: The next generation Jul 3, 2009
But now, as the private sector economy has tanked and biodefense has conquered most other industries, Emergent rakes in millions in federal contract dollars and preserves one of the highest share prices in local life sciences. Its BioThrax is the only federally approved pre-exposure vaccine to protect against anthrax, and the company is gunning for another sizable federal contract to develop a vaccine that helps treat anthrax after its spores are released. (Washington Business Journal, DC)
Vangent adds directors to health group Jun 26, 2009
Malott, who will lead Vangent s business development for biodefense and civilian health services to the Department of Homeland Security, worked for as an original member of its heath solutions group. At Microsoft, Malott help expand the group s client base to include Military Health System, Veterans Affairs, Johns Hopkins Health System, New York Presbyterian and DC RHIO.. (Washington Business Journal, DC)
No comments posted. Jun 26, 2009
Washington University labs get funding for biodefense research ... ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A center based at Washington University's medical school will receive 37 million over five years to continue its research into biodefense and infectious diseases. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
Wash. U. biodefense center gets $37M Jun 26, 2009
Washington U. biodefense center gets $37M from NIH - St. Louis Business Journal ... Washington U. biodefense center gets $37M from NIH ... has awarded a five-year, $37 million grant to the in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases at in St. Louis. (St. Louis Business Journal, MO)
9,200 Uncounted Vials Found At Army Lab Jun 18, 2009
(AP) An inventory of deadly germs and toxins at an Army biodefense lab in Frederick found more than 9,200 vials of material that was unaccounted for in laboratory records, Fort D 00004000 etrick officials said Wednesday. The 13 percent overage mainly reflects stocks left behind in freezers by researchers who retired or left Fort Detrick since the biological warfare defense program was established there in 1943, said Col. Mark Kortepeter, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research... (CBS News)
Bee-killing Parasite Genome Sequenced Jun 6, 2009
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Supported by the USDA-ARS Administrator fund, (JDE, JC, JP), North America Pollinator Protection Campaign, (JE, JC), USDA-NRI grant # 2002-0256, (JE), Northeast Biodefense Center Grant # U54AI57158, (WIL), and Google. org Contract # 17-2008, (WIL). (Science Daily)
Mining Rhinovirus Sequencing May 21, 2009
From the Departments of Medicine (G.A.P., M.A.B.), Immunology (M.A.B.), and Molecular Medicine (M.A.B.) and the Program in Translational Immunovirology and Biodefense (G.A.P., M.A.B.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.. . (New England Journal of Medicine)
Computer Simulation Captures Immune Response To Flu May 21, 2009
A team of immunologists, mathematical modelers, statisticians and software developers created the new model over three years within the Center for Biodefense Immune Modeling at the University of Rochester Medical Center ... D., principal investigator of the project, director of the Center for Biodefense Immune Modeling (CBIM) and division chief of the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, and by Martin S. Zand, M.D., Ph. (Science Daily)
Safety could suffer if we boost mileage by making cars smaller May 20, 2009
Former NHTSA chief Jeffrey Runge, now an auto-safety and biodefense consultant, applauds the administration's decision to factor safety into its fuel-economy plan but worries automakers will still "do what is cheap and quick because the timelines are very short," and that could lead to more small cars. Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the move by automakers, regulators and consumers into small cars. (USA Today -- Money)
Emergent renews Hauer Group contract May 15, 2009
Hauer s connections may be well-suited for Emergent s product line, anthrax-related vaccines that the local company has sold mostly to the federal government for its biodefense stockpile. Before starting up The Hauer Group, he co-chaired the homeland security practice for public relations firm , led public health preparedness in the Department of Health and Human Services and served as New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani s first director of that city s Office of Emergency Management years before the... (Washington Business Journal, DC)
Scientists develop mathematical model to predict the immune response to influenza May 14, 2009
The project was conducted by investigators funded through the Modeling Immunity for Biodefense program, a program established in 2005 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to improve preparedness for emerging and re-emerging pathogens ... In addition to the investigators in Rochester, NIAID supports three additional laboratories across the United States as part of the Modeling Immunity for Biodefense program. (EurekAlert!)
Scientist arrested for smuggling vials used in Ebola research... May 14, 2009
He told US border guards he was taking them to his new job with the National Institutes of Health at the Biodefense Research Laboratory in Bethesda, Maryland. US authorities feared their contents could pose a terrorist threat. (The Drudge Report)
How Smallpox May Derail Human Immune System May 13, 2009
9, 2008) Infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Mines president to be formally invested Saturday May 9, 2009
Another is the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which is a laboratory for the Department of Homeland Security. Wadsworth was educated at Sheffield University in England, where he studied metallurgy, earning a bachelor's degree in 1972 and a Ph. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
UPMC expert obvious biosecurity choice May 8, 2009
" Dr. O'Toole, who also is a professor of medicine and of public health at Pitt, cannot speak to the media pending her confirmation to the post by the U.S. Senate. Her confirmation hearings are expected to be held within the next few weeks. She has headed the biosecurity center since it was created in 2003. While its 30-person staff -- experienced in government, medicine, public health, bioscience and the social sciences -- is headquartered in Baltimore, all of its hospitals and labs are in the... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Trust for America's Health on Nomination of Tara O'Toole for Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security May 8, 2009
"Tara O'Toole is a renowned and highly recognized international expert on biodefense and public health preparedness. She will be a major asset as the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, bringing a range and depth of experience to the position. In her work as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment Safety and Health during the Clinton Administration, she helped protect Americans from environmental threats to health. At the Johns Hopkins... (PR Newswire)
Does new swine flu virus kill by causing a 'cytokine storm'? May 6, 2009
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (), is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, and Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering chnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's... (EurekAlert!)
Lingle names innovation award winners for February Apr 18, 2009
In 2003, Wuh founded Cellular Bioengineering Inc. (CBI), a Hawaii-based developer of technologies with biomedical and biodefense applications. CBI searches for what Wuh calls "disruptive ideas" and "disruptive technologies" that will eventually overturn the status quo and change the future. (Honolulu Advertiser)
OHSU scientists partner with others to form center aimed at combating infectious diseases Apr 16, 2009
Based at OHSU, the collaborative Pacific Northwest Regional Center for Excellence (PNWRCE) for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases was established through a five-year, $40. 7 million cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health. (EurekAlert!)
Advanced Life Sciences Announces Filing of Shelf Registration Statement Apr 9, 2009
Advanced Life Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, cancer, respiratory diseases and biodefense. For more information, please visit us on the web at. (PR Newswire)
Granholm announces 2,600 new jobs Mar 19, 2009
Emergent Biodefense Operations Inc. - The biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and immune-related therapeutics anticipates investing 10. 9 million to modify and expand its operations in Lansing. (Dowagiac News, MI)
Tracing anthrax's American roots Mar 16, 2009
Related work by the same group, described by Keim at a recent biodefense meeting in Baltimore, finds a more recent origin for the well-known Ames strain of anthrax, best known as the type of anthrax used in the 2001 mailings. The strain was traced to soil samples in Jim Hogg County in south Texas in a 2008 Emerging Infectious Diseases journal study. (USA Today -- Tech)
Drug developed in Corvallis lab stands ready to fight smallpox Mar 11, 2009
With that interest, U.S. spending on biodefense has multiplied twentyfold, to about $8 billion in 2005. Siga Technologies Inc. in Corvallis is a beneficiary of that fear. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
The Science Behind The 'Anthrax Letter' Attack Investigation Feb 27, 2009
Scientists directly involved in the investigation of the anthrax letter attacks of 2001 described the process of investigating the anthrax letter attacks in a presentation given on February 24, 2009 at the ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, MD.. Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University described the crime scene, the events, letters and the victims in the context of their work. (Science Daily)
Vaccine Protects Against 1918 Influenza Strain Feb 26, 2009
This research was presented February 24, 2009 at the ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, MD.. Adapted from materials provided by , via , a service of AAAS. Email or share this story. (Science Daily)
ST-246(r) in Combination With the Smallpox Vaccine ACAM2000(tm) Confers Protective Immunity in Primates Feb 24, 2009
The results of the study will be presented by Dr. Peter Silvera of SRI on February 24, 2009 at the 7th Annual ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, funded the SRI study under contract no. N01-AI-30063. (Primezone Releases)
Innovative Biosensors and ProGenTech Partner to Develop a Rapid Diagnostics System Feb 24, 2009
Innovative Biosensors, Inc. is a privately held company developing novel technologies for the rapid detection of pathogens in biodefense applications and human clinical diagnostics. Innovative Biosensor's technology has been tailored to rapidly and sensitively detect biological threats in building security, military, and civil defense applications. (PR Newswire)
Security infiltrates college classrooms Feb 19, 2009
for example, offers a doctorate in biodefense, which teaches "intelligence and threat assessment, nonproliferation, and medical and public health preparedness," according to the university's website. Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. (USA Today -- News)
Making Rounds Feb 16, 2009
It is designed to prepare biosafety and biocontainment professionals of the highest caliber to meet the needs of the biomedical, emerging disease and civilian biodefense research communities. Stitt-Fischer earned a Ph. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Md. Lab Germ Research Halted for Records Probe Feb 10, 2009
Army biodefense lab where alleged anthrax mailer worked. By DAVID DISHNEAU Associated Press WriterHAGERSTOWN, Md. (ABC News -- Wire)
Army halts research at Md. biodefense lab to account for toxins Feb 10, 2009
biodefense lab to account for toxins - The Boston Globe ... biodefense lab to account for toxins. (Boston Globe)
XOMA and Takeda Expand Collaboration Feb 10, 2009
The company's proprietary product pipeline includes XOMA 052, an anti-IL-1 beta antibody, and XOMA 3AB, a biodefense anti-botulism antibody candidate. XOMA has multiple revenue streams resulting from the licensing of its antibody technologies, product royalties, development collaborations and biodefense contracts. (Primezone Releases)
U.S. Army suspends germ research at Maryland lab Feb 10, 2009
Army officials have suspended most research involving dangerous germs at the biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland, which the FBI has linked to the anthrax attacks of 2001, after discovering that some pathogens stored there were not listed in a laboratory database ... The anthrax case has underscored the threat of biological attack by biodefense insiders like Ivins, who have access to pathogens and the expertise to work with them ... The number of such researchers has grown rapidly... (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
