Veterinary medicine is linked to biological threat reduction because about 75 percent of the agents that can be used as biological weapons are animal in origin. Dr. Melissa Finley and her Sandia colleagues establish biorisk management practices at laboratories worldwide and help to reduce the potential for criminal acquisition of biological agents.
Beginning with the release of the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats in 2009, and outlined in his 2011 speech at the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama has called upon all countries to come together to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberately spread.
Results from an interim analysis of the Guinea Phase III efficacy vaccine trial show that VSV-EBOV is highly effective against Ebola. Although the vaccine up to now shows 100-percent efficacy in individuals, more conclusive evidence is needed on its capacity to protect populations through what is called "herd immunity."
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that it is launching a ruggedized, military-grade auto-injector device, known as Emergard. This device is designed for intramuscular self-injection of antidotes and other emergency response medical treatments for exposure to certain chemical agents and similar emerging threats.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Portlight Strategies announced an agreement that will increase preparedness awareness for people with disabilities in the event of natural or manmade disasters. The new partnership will bolster working relationships with emergency managers to encourage inclusion of people with disabilities in the planning process.
Everbridge, a leading global provider in unified critical communications, today announced its community engagement solution, aimed at helping local governments and law enforcement build strong, transparent relationships with the communities they serve. The new solution increases the reach of emergency management teams and expands community outreach.
As part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) ongoing efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, Secretary Jeh Johnson announced final allocations for eight Fiscal Year 2015 DHS preparedness grant programs, including the Homeland Security Grant Program. These allocations assist with local and state preparedness efforts.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $349 million in funding for 15 rural electric infrastructure projects to build or improve more than 1,844 miles of transmission and distribution lines for rural electric cooperatives and utilities in 13 states.
Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) valued at $19.7 million to develop and manufacture cGMP lots of three Ebola monoclonal antibodies in CHO cell lines at a 2000 Liter scale.
Using Sandia National Laboratory's genome sequencing capabilities, Sandia scientists identified several mechanisms that bacteria use to share genes and expand their antibiotic resistance. They found that in some cases, bacteria can receive a new set of genes all at once and in the process become pathogenic.
