See what we’re reading this week at Global Biodefense on topics including Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (P3CO), Ebola’s persistence in breast milk and the lungs, and a memo from the out-going HHS Secretary.
BIOPREPAREDNESS
- Before the next outbreak: Prepare for everything together (Simson Center)
- Being prepared for emergencies is a long, hard grind (Philly.com)
- Pandemic preparedness in the next administration (Georgetown)
- How ready is your state for the next disaster? (Healthcare Ready)
POLICY, PRACTICES & POLITICS
- Policy guidance for Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (OSTP)
- FDA guidance on EAU of medical products and related authorities (Federal Register)
- Gain-of-function research – recommended policy for P3CO (PHE.gov)
- White House announces review process for risky virus studies (Science)
- New law will help combat growing threat of antibiotic resistance (PEW)
- The construction of new security concerns in the life sciences (NA)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Exit Memo (HHS.gov)
- Synthetic biology, genome editing, and the risk of bioterrorism (S&E Ethics)
- Vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’ll chair Trump’s vaccine panel (STAT)
- Biosafety and biosecurity in the realm of dual-use research of concern (NA)
- ASM sends letter to President-Elect Trump on vaccine issues (ASM)
- Blue Ribbon Panel lobbies for VP as leader of nation’s biodefense (The Hill)
SELECT AGENTS
- Ebola virus persistence in breast milk after no reported illness (CID)
- New vaccine against the pneumonic form of plague (NCBI)
- Compliance with B. anthracis postexposure prophylaxis among U.S. military (MMWR)
- Yersinia pestis halotolerance illuminates plague reservoirs (Sci Rep)
- Ebola RNA found hiding in health-care worker’s lungs (The Scientist)
- Rapid dual direct fluorescent assay for identification of bacillus anthracis (FPO)
- Impact of childhood vs adult immunization on vaccinia vector vaccine development (PLOS)
- Fighting Ebola with information (Global Innovation Exchange)
- In search of a vaccine to vanquish the plague (California Healthline)
- Plague outbreak in Madagascar summary update (WHO)
- First baby born with congenital Ebola survives infection (CIDRAP)
- Francisella tularensis type VI secretion system comes of age (T&F)
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
- Woman killed by a superbug resistant to all 26 American antibiotics (Atlantic)
- In antibiotic resistance fight, livestock industry can be a game changer (STAT)
- Scientists don’t have a decade to find a Zika vaccine (WaPo)
- Trump, Kennedy, and the real science of vaccines (STAT)
- Moderna Therapeutics Phase 1/2 for mRNA 1325 Zika vaccine (Clinical Trials.gov)
- Can a flu shot wear off if you get it too early? Perhaps, scientists say (STAT)
- Treatment strategies for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (JoVE)
- Protecting kids: My experience with vaccine refusal and autism awareness (Sabin)
OUTBREAK NEWS & THREAT SURVEILLANCE
- Nearly 3 million U.S. eggs en route to bird flu-hit South Korea (Reuters)
- Hazmat suits and 500 shelter cats: Rare flu forces New York quarantine (NYTimes)
- Undeterred, researchers tackling a global crisis from multiple directions (WUSTL)
- New method for assessing risk of infectious disease outbreak (Scientific Reports)
RESEARCH & TECH
- The Paperfuge: A 20-cent device that could transform health care (Wired)
- Pulling parasites from the blood with a souped-up kid’s toy (STAT)
- Secretive biotech unicorn Moderna unveils pipeline, financials (Bloomberg)
- DARPA’s biotech chief says 2017 will “blow our minds” (Scientific American)
- Quasi-chemical model for bacterial spore germination kinetics by pressure (FER)
- Disposable biosensors made from newspaper (Nano Werk)
- Moderna hits safety problems in bold bid to revolutionize medicine (STAT)
SPECIAL INTEREST
- Nobel winner Oliver Smithies, discoverer of gene targeting, dies at 91 (NY Times)
- 505 Games unveils original Steam game Quarantine (VentureBeat)
HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS
- Historical and economic aspects of bioterrorism (MTAK)
- Amherst College mulls new mascots after nixing ‘bioterrorist’ Lord Jeff (WaPo)
- Revisiting smallpox epidemic in Punjab 1850-1901 (JSTOR)
