Virtual Biosecurity Center

Anthrax vaccine trial meets bioethicists

(Nature News Blog) An anthrax vaccine would protect civilians from the long-term effects of a bioterrorist attack. But there’s no telling how children would react to the shots. To assess the ethics of a trial, in which kids would get an anthrax vaccine unlikely to ever be necessary, a federal committee met today in Washington DC. “The chance that we would have a widespread outbreak of anthrax are relatively low, but if anthrax were weaponized, it would be catastrophic,” explains Larry Gostin, of the O’Neill Institute Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights in Washington DC. “The chance that we would Read More »
- May 18, 2012 |
- Filed Under Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, Research
Bioterrorism Bill Gridlocked In Congress

(Huffington Post) WASHINGTON – Nearly four years after a congressionally mandated commission warned that bioterrorism poses the greatest threat to the nation, the former Democratic senator who chaired the panel said legislation that would implement its recommendations is “almost assured of failure” because of power-hungry Capitol Hill lawmakers. “As somebody once said, there is nothing as permanent as a subcommittee of a Senate committee,” said former Sen. Bob Graham, who led the WMD Commission. “People build their careers around these committees of targeted influence.” In an interview with The Huffington Post soon after the House Committee on Homeland Security this week passed Read More »
- May 14, 2012 |
- Filed Under Bioterrorism, Policy & Initiatives
Op-Ed – How not to “run afowl” of deemed export regulations

Kimberly Orr, DVM, PhD Microbiologist and Senior Biologist Chemical Biological Controls at Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce Most life science research which is published and considered fundamental research is not subject to export license requirements in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce (DOC), or to export license requirements in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), administered by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the Department of State. However, recent events in collaborative research on H5N1 avian influenza have emphasized the importance of Read More »
- May 8, 2012 |
- Filed Under Biotechnology, International, Policy & Initiatives, Research
NIH preparing tool to help labs cope with new DURC policy

(CIDRAP News) Federal officials are working on guidance to help local institutions implement the government’s new policy on the oversight of life-sciences dual-use research of concern (DURC), an official from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said today. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH, revealed the development at a workshop on H5N1 research issues that was hosted by the National Academies. He said the NIH expects to put the guidance out for public comment over the next few weeks and is eager to learn what parts of the new DURC policy Read More »
- May 2, 2012 |
- Filed Under Biosafety, Policy & Initiatives, Research
Board on Life Sciences of the U.S. National Academies announces new biosecurity website

(The National Academies) The Board on Life Sciences of the U.S. National Academies is pleased to announce the creation of a new website on biosecurity. The site brings together information and resources from across the National Academies on biosecurity, biodefense, relevant aspects of public health, and discussions of the relationship between science and security. Along with links to reports and current projects, the site features material designed to introduce new audiences to the topic, such as the booklet “Understanding Biosecurity”. Please visit http://nas-sites.org/biosecurity/
- April 30, 2012 |
- Filed Under Research

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Emergent BioSolutions Receives FDA Approval for BioThrax Administered Intramuscularly in a Three-Dose Primary Series Followed by Booster Doses

(Press Release) Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to change the administration schedule of BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to a three-dose primary series of intramuscular injections at 0, 1, and 6 months. The booster series consists Read More »

May 18, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, and Public Health
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Pentagon-Funded Research Could Bolster Bioweapon Scanner Tech

(Global Security Newswire) Findings published earlier this week could lay the groundwork for advancements in portable biological-weapon scanner technology, the Journal of Visualized Experiments announced. The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency financed the studies; they include an examination of steps for setting apart organic molecules without reliance on analytical facilities or Read More »

May 18, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Panel debates bioterrorism protection for children

(Huffington Post) WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is asking a presidential commission to help decide an ethical quandary: Should the anthrax vaccine and other treatments being stockpiled in case of a bioterror attack be tested in children? “We can’t just assume that what we have for adults works for children,” Health Read More »

May 18, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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House Backs Amendment on Maintaining WMD Response Teams

(Global Security Newswire) The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved without dissent an amendment to its fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill aimed at preventing the elimination of two National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, one lawmaker announced. The Defense Department suggested dissolving two separate teams in New Read More »

May 18, 2012
| Filed under North America and Policy & Initiatives
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Anthrax vaccine trial meets bioethicists

(Nature News Blog) An anthrax vaccine would protect civilians from the long-term effects of a bioterrorist attack. But there’s no telling how children would react to the shots. To assess the ethics of a trial, in which kids would get an anthrax vaccine unlikely to ever be necessary, a federal committee Read More »