Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has announced the latest software update for the AhuraFD, the award-winning handheld Raman instrument for field-based chemical identification, formerly sold as Ahura Scientific FirstDefender. Deployed globally by hazmat teams, law enforcement, bomb squads, and military units, AhuraFD enables first responders to quickly identify unknown chemicals, even through sealed containers.
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has announced that the company has received an award to supply the U.S. government with 44.75 million doses of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) over a period of five years. BioThrax is the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect citizens against anthrax infection.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has signed agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to: (a) advance information-sharing between federal agencies; and (b) improve the targeting of imports for health and safety violations. EPA and PHSMA are now part of CBP's Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), a multi-agency center for targeting commercial shipments that pose potential threats to health and safety.
The U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of two Influenza test kits for use on the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS). Idaho Technology Inc., developer and manufacturer of the JBAIDS instrument, performed the optimization and analytical testing of the influenza assays, designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for work on the JBAIDS.
The development of five new drugs to treat injuries associated with acute radiation syndrome (caused by exposure to high doses of damaging - i.e., ionizing - radiation) will move forward under contracts awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Unfortunately, for many first responders, and despite warnings posted by the victims, over 80% of police and first responders have been injured when responding to chemical suicide situations. The Chameleon® Chemical Suicide Detection Kit offers police, EMS and first responders a field-configurable, low-cost, easy-to-use, hands-free solution when encountering a chemical suicide.
"Children are not small adults," said Susan Cummins, M.D., chief pediatric medical officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "This pediatric face mask helps fill an unmet need for medical devices that are specifically designed for children's unique anatomy and growing bodies."
The National Disaster Recovery Framework is a guide that facilitates effective recovery support to disaster-impacted states, tribes, and both territorial and local jurisdictions. It now introduces six new Recovery Support Functions that provide a structure to help problem solving, improve access to resources, and foster coordination among state and federal agencies as well as with nongovernmental partners and stakeholders.
"Bringing together the robust technology and innovative leadership of our two companies redefines what is possible in the emergency preparedness and response industry," said Andy Nunemaker, President of Intermedix EMSystems division. "This combination will not only benefit our client base, but will benefit the industry as a whole and the communities they serve."
Loyola University Maryland's Sellinger School of Business and Management will launch a new 15-credit graduate Cybersecurity Certificate program in January 2012. The part-time one-year program is geared toward business professionals who are seeking management-level certification and enhanced skills in cybersecurity and information assurance.
