Recent News

By Region: North America

United States launches three biodefence centres

(Nature News Blog) The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded contracts for the creation of three new centres tasked with responding to the threat of future pandemics and biological attacks. To be based in Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, the three centres are comprised of academic and industry consortia whose role Read More »

June 20, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Flu researchers don’t know when they can restart work

(New Scientist) After six months of dispute, research in the Netherlands that made a deadly H5N1 flu airborne will be published this week. The scientists behind it now want to get on with their work – but they can’t. In December 2011, a US biosecurity committee advised against publishing the research, fearing it was “dual-use Read More »

June 20, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Top Level Biosecurity Lab to Move to Kansas If Approved

(Food Safety News) Nobody ever said moving “Plum Island” to Kansas was going to be easy or cheap. But until that move can occur, Homeland Security won’t have its state-of-the-art facility for combating biological threats to the United States. Plans for the lab have been in the works since shortly after 9/11. The groundwork has Read More »

June 20, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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NIAID Issues Contract For Advanced Work on Smallpox-Marburg Virus Vaccine

(Global Security Newswire) The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has issued a contract to a Danish biotechnology firm to finance advanced research of experimental vaccines that could be used against both the Marburg and smallpox viruses. “This new contract will support the advanced development of candidate vaccine components and technologies that accelerate Read More »

June 20, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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BARDA, Emergent BioSolutions Forge Pact to Set Up Biodefense Response Facility

(Genetic Engineering News) Emergent BioSolutions and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) are establishing a Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing. The center will facilitate advanced development of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures, ensure domestic pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing surge capacity, share facility construction costs, and provide workforce Read More »