Congratulations to our brilliant Biodefense MS Students, Alan Muhammet and Justin Ludgate! Both these brains have secured internships with START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism).
Alan Muhammet is an intern analyst and Justin Ludgate is a Spring Semeseter intern in the Special Projects Division of START, where he works on the Chemical/Biological Adversaries project.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the organization for those of you not as familiar as you should be:
“The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism—better known as START – is a university-based research center committed to the scientific study of the causes and human consequences of terrorism in the United States and around the world.
Headquartered at the University of Maryland, START supports research efforts of leading social scientists at more than 50 academic and research institutions, each of whom is conducting original investigations into fundamental questions about terrorism, including:
Under what conditions does an individual or a group turn to terrorism to pursue its goals? What is the nature of the radicalization process?
What attack patterns have different terrorists demonstrated during the past forty years? How has terrorist behavior evolved? And, what does this indicate about likely future terrorist activity?
What impact does terrorism and the threat of terrorism have on communities, and how can societies enhance their resilience to minimize the potential impacts of future attacks?
START experts apply a range of research methods to the exploration of these questions in order to deliver findings based on the best available open-source evidence and data. At the heart of START’s work are the principles that the research it is conducting must be both scientifically rigorous and directly relevant to homeland security professionals.
START is committed to the widespread dissemination of its research findings not only to homeland security professionals, but also to students of all levels and to the general public. START has developed educational materials and programs specifically designed for instructors and students at the secondary, university, and graduate school levels. Educational resources available through START include relevant lesson plans, a syllabi repository, and a range of unique data sources that can be integrated into an array of courses to deepen students’ understanding of the dynamics of terrorism. START also has internships and funding opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students engaged in terrorism research.”
Highlights include the BioWatch contract, H5N1 research for everyone, antibiotic-resistance and the Brits, IBM destroying biofilm, and bacteria shoes. Happy Friday!
BioWatch is in the news again, but not for the reasons you might think. DHS has sent out feelers regarding the contract, which is expected to come in around $3.1 billion over five years. We’ll let you know when the industry date is set.
“Perhaps the largest single contract competition at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2013 began Friday with the release of a draft announcement seeking support for the latest version of the BioWatch biological agent detection program. The draft request for quote (RFQ) stated that DHS will soon hold an industry day in Washington, DC, for contractors interested in bidding on the BioWatch Gen-3 Program. Preregistration will not be necessary but DHS has not yet identified a date for the industry day, the DHS Office of Procurement Operations said.”
We’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing the H5N1 controversy here at GMU Biodefense. The end of the moratorium, however, does not mean an immediate resumption of research – many labs are now in the difficult process of re-securing funding.
“International scientists have declared an end to a moratorium on research into mutant forms of the deadly H5N1 bird flu. Since influenza viruses are constantly changing, research is crucial, WHO’s Gregory Härtl told DW.
DW: ‘There has been this open letter in the journal Science and Nature that international scientists are going to lift their voluntary moratorium on certain research. First of all, what’s the reaction from the World Health Organization (WHO)? Is this a good or a bad thing?’
Gregory Härtl: ‘Well, certainly it’s to be expected. We convened a meeting with Dr Fouchier and Dr Kawaoka and others directly involved in this research a year ago, right at the time when this moratorium was announced. And the fact that they have desisted from doing any research on H5N1 for a year now – so twice as long as originally envisaged – has given the influenza and virology world a lot of time to sit back and look at what needs to be done in order to do this research in a surer environment and to do things that can help raise confidence all around.'”
The UK is taking antibiotic-resistant bacteria very seriously, to the extent that they’re considering adding it to their list of civil emergencies. Much of the problem is considered to be the “broken” market model for developing new antibiotics.
“More people died of infections than cancer in 2010. This stark fact highlights the danger from rise in antibiotic resistance in bacteria, a danger the chief medical officer warned MPs about again this week. For billions of years, certain bacteria have produced chemicals that protect them from attack by other microorganisms. Some of these chemicals make up the antibiotics used in medicine today. Unfortunately, bacteria are survival experts and have developed ways of resisting the toxic effect of these drugs. In fact, most of the resistance that is around today developed many years ago, either in the local environment, or in people and animals. Global travel is a major contributor to the increasing spread of such bacteria, exacerbating previously manageable problems of resistance.”
IBM – International Biofilm Masher? The tech giant has developed a hydrogel which is capable to destroying biofilms while leaving human cells unharmed.
“Biofilms — groups of microorganisms that adhere to a surface — can be a real problem. When bacteria form a biofilm, it’s difficult to treat since the cells are so densely packed. But now IBM has created a new substance that can break through biofilms such as plaque and drug-resistant bacteria, killing them while not harming humans. IBM Research and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology created a antimicrobial hydrogel — a highly absorbent substance made from synthetic polymers — that annihilates bacterial biofilms on contact. IBM claims the hydrogel is 100% efficient in destroying biofilms. The gel forms spontaneously when heated to body temperature. It’s also biodegradable and non-toxic.”
Designer Suzanne Lee is developing jewelry and clothing made entirely of bacteria. Yes bacteria. No we’re not sure about the market for bacterial scarves, but the idea is interesting.
“I’m not creating organisms myself—I’m thinking about what functionality can we introduce genetically, with a consumer application in mind. I have various scientists I work with. I go to them and say, “How can we get this quality?” You can program the biodegradability of it: “I want this to last three months,” or three years. If you can program that in, it answers sustainability issues around massive consumption.”
Our colleague at HHS ASPR, Diane DiEuliis, asked me to share the following job announcement. It is a director-level policy position in the office of Policy and Planning at ASPR. The person would be responsible for working through the National Health Security Strategy, among other ASPR frameworks. In addition, the person would also do quite a bit of interagency management, as well as state and local collaboration, on all preparedness and response policy issues.
Please contact her directly if you have any questions. Her contact information is 202-260-6119 or diane.dieuliis@hhs.gov.
Following up on last year’s tremendously popular course, this year’s Pandemics, Bioterrrorism, and International Security three-day short course will be held on the George Mason Campus, from July 22-24, 2013.
Click Here to visit the official GMU web site for more information and to register.
Course Description
This three-day, non-credit short-course is designed to introduce participants to the challenges facing the world at the intersection of biodefense and public health. Private and public organizations face a number of challenges in the biosecurity domain. A bioterrorist attack is both a public health emergency and a criminal act whose perpetrators need to be apprehended. Likewise, pandemics can affect not just public health, but also public safety and national security. The causes and consequences of these risks extend far beyond any one nation’s borders. Pandemics and bioterrorist attacks will also confront government agencies and the private sector with the need to make high-impact decisions with limited information during a rapidly evolving situation. Further complicating this domain is the dual-use nature of biology: the knowledge and skills developed for legitimate scientific and commercial purposes can be misused by those with hostile intent. Research with dangerous pathogens and the development of dual-use biotechnologies poses a dilemma for policy-makers and researchers who seek to maximize the benefits of such research while minimizing the risks. Thus, public health, law enforcement and national security agencies, pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and the academic life sciences community need to establish new priorities, such as developing new types of expertise, adopting new types of risk assessment and risk management strategies, and learning to collaborate with each other.
Implementing these new priorities will require substantial organizational learning and change. But large organizations have deeply embedded professional norms and organizational culture that make them resistant to change, even during times of crisis. Each organization responds with its own routines, and its own distinctive view of “the threat,” which dilutes new initiatives, encourages stovepiping, and impedes effective collaboration. These organizational tendencies grow even more pronounced during times of declining budgets. Thus, while the need for collaboration is great, the potential for differing organizational styles to produce conflict is high.
The 1976 swine flu scare, 2001 anthrax letter attacks, 2003 smallpox immunization campaign, SARS and avian influenza outbreaks, and 2009 influenza pandemic provide rich case studies of how elite organizations have struggled to address novel biological threats, make high-impact decisions with limited information, and work effectively with new partners. The lessons from these cases are broadly applicable to both public and private organizations seeking to address current and emerging biosecurity risks.
Course features
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be awarded by George Mason University
Syllabus and reading materials
Dinner after first day of course
Lunch and breaks on all days
Certificate of attendance
Membership in the exclusive course group, Pandemics, Bioterrrorism, and International Security, on LinkedIn
Highlights include dengue blowing up on the global stage, mutant superbugs and the scientists who kill them, Ebola in Bangladeshi bats, stopping Influenza dead by messing with its internal clock, cholera in Cuba, and Syria’s apparent use of chemical weapons (more leaked diplomatic cables). Happy Friday!
The World Health Organization released a report assessing and improving upon the world’s current commitments to combating the “neglected” tropical diseases. Ranking pretty high amongst the 17 tropical diseases featured is dengue, which has seen a 30-fold increase in occurrence globally over the last half century.
WHO – “In 2012, dengue ranks as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease with an epidemic potential in the world… its human and economic costs are staggering. The world needs to change its reactive approach and instead implement sustainable preventive measures that are guided by entomological and epidemiological surveillance.”
Is this the tagline to a summer blockbuster or a piece about using innovative epidemiology to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria? “Why not both? Who’s connected to Spielberg on LinkedIn? (Are you connected to Mason Biodefense on LinkedIn? You really should be)
Wired – “With each passing year, the problem of superbugs—bacteria such as Klebsiella that have evolved resistance to all, or nearly all, antibiotics available—has grown progressively more dire. Gone are the days when pharmaceutical companies could roll out generation after generation of new medications to replace those that bacteria had already surmounted. Such drugs have become much harder to find; and even when they are found, the market for them is far less lucrative than for molecules that combat such high-profile killers as cancer or AIDS. As a result, the flow through the antibiotics pipeline has slowed to a trickle. From 1983 through 1987, the FDA approved 16 new systemic antibiotics; from 2008 through 2011, it approved just two. Rather than administer some new wonder drug, then, the Clinical Center could only quarantine these KPC-positive patients and give them harsh drugs like colistin, an antibiotic so toxic it was all but abandoned in the 1970s. An estimated 90,000 people die every year from infections they acquire in US hospitals—more than the number that die from Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or influenza.”
This is our first Ebola piece of 2013, for those of you keeping track, and it therefore an interesting one. According to a study in the CDC’s most recent Emerging Infectious Diseases, approximately four percent of a sample of 276 fruit bats in Bangladesh possessed antibodies for Ebola. Filoviruses in Asia? No thanks.
“These results suggest that Rousettus fruit bats are a reservoir for Ebola, or a new Ebola-like virus in South Asia. The study extends the range of this lethal disease further than previously suspected to now include mainland Asia. ‘Research on Filoviruses in Asia is a new frontier of critical importance to human health, and this study has been vital to better understand the wildlife reservoirs and potential transmission of Ebola virus in Bangladesh and the region,’ said Dr. Kevin Olival, lead author and Senior Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance.”
Having had the stupid flu, we here at the Mason Biodefense blog are well and truly read for it to disappear off the face of the planet. Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are trying to help influenza along the path to oblivion by tricking the virus to prematurely leave the cozy warmth of its host cell. Exposed, our immune system can then gobble it up like any other irrelevant antigen.
NPR – “A study in Cell Reports describes how researchers tapped into the flu’s internal clock as they search for ways to keep the virus from spreading. Flu viruses hijack the machinery inside host cells to replicate. The theft is a complicated process that takes time. A virus enters the nucleus of the cell, copies itself thousands of times and then breaks out before the immune system attacks. Every minute counts. To trick the flu, researchers fiddled with how fast the escape protein accumulates inside cells. Speed up the protein production, and the virus leaves the cell before it has made enough copies to infect someone else.”
Cholera is an awful disease, not least because it’s forever ruined the phrase “rice water” for many of us (sorry, sorry – if you don’t have a slightly macabre sense of humor coming into Biodefense, you will going out). It’s still not known how the disease, which before 2012 had been absent for over a century, was resurfaced in Cuba.
CNN – “A statement from the Cuban Health Ministry said so far there were 51 confirmed cases in the new outbreak. The statement did not say if anyone had died from the disease, a bacterial infection of the small intestine, which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in infected people…The Health Ministry statement Tuesday said the latest outbreak appeared to be caused by a food vendor who had not followed proper sanitary procedures”
According to Foreign Policy, a leaked State Department cable has indicated that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against the rebels last month. Out of respect for those of you working or interning with State, no excerpts from the article will be posted.
The theme of this special edition Pandora Report is medical countermeasures. Highlights include the 2012 Public Health emergency Countermeasure Enterprise Plan and Strategy (not as wordy as it sounds), raxibacumab’s approval to treat inhalation anthrax, new smallpox antivirals, and Emergent BioSolutions’ manufacturing an experimental influenza vaccine. Happy…er, Monday?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its 2012 Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) Implementation Plan and Strategy last month. This version updates the orginal 2007 version of the Strategy and Plan, by expanding “efforts needed to improve national capability and capacity to respond to major public health threats.”
HHS – “The U.S. Government has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of its citizens. The American people continue to face a host of national health security threats from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents and emerging infectious diseases. Under the leadership of HHS, the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure Enterprise (PHEMCE) is the coordinating body for the federal agencies in charge of protecting the civilian population from potential adverse health impacts through the use of medical countermeasures, which are medicines, devices, or other medical interventions that can lessen the harmful effects of these threats. The 2012 HHS PHEMCE Strategy articulates the strategic direction and will guide policies and decisions for the end-to-end mission of the PHEMCE. The companion 2012 HHS PHEMCE Implementation Plan describes the activities and programs that HHS, in collaboration with its interagency partners, is undertaking over the next five years to increase MCM preparedness for national health security threats.”
Although only just being officially approved, under a special licensing agreement the US government has been steadily adding raxibacumab to the Strategic National Stockpile for a few years now. The drug’s efficacy stems from its targeting of Bacillus anthracis‘ toxins, instead of the bacteria itself. Raxibacumab is also the first adrug to be approved under the two animal rule (which I know you’re all entirely familiar with…yes? oh here).
FDA – “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved raxibacumab injection to treat inhalational anthrax, a form of the infectious disease caused by breathing in the spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Raxibacumab also is approved to prevent inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or not appropriate. Raxibacumab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes toxins produced by B. anthracis that can cause massive and irreversible tissue injury and death. A monoclonal antibody is a protein that closely resembles a human antibody that identifies and neutralizes foreign material like bacteria and viruses. Anthrax is a potential biological terrorism threat because the spores are resistant to destruction and can be easily spread by release in the air.”
Eradication has definitely not spelled the end to the smallpox debate. The argument generally falls along two lines A) As it’s eradicated, should we still be prioritizing its antivirals over other, more defined needs? Or B) As it’s eradicated, and therefore almost everyone under the age of 32 is entirely vulnerable, shouldn’t stockpiling antivirals be a top priority? SIGA clearly falls in the later camp.
Globe Newswire – “SIGA Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGA), a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight pathogens capable of use as bioweapons, today announced that its smallpox antiviral, previously known as ST-246®, would be branded as Arestvyr™ for all purposes, including commercial sales and seeking full marketing approval of the antiviral as a smallpox treatment. “We are pleased to announce use of the Arestvyr™ name for our proprietary smallpox antiviral treatment,” said Dr. Eric A. Rose, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SIGA. “ST-246 (Tecovirimat) is becoming increasingly better known around the world as we work to deliver two million courses of our treatment to the United States Government’s Strategic National Stockpile. Adopting the Arestvyr™ name is another step in our commercial-stage transformation. SIGA is also pleased to confirm that it has received payment of the $12.3 million milestone previously invoiced to the U.S. government under SIGA’s Strategic National Stockpile contract.”
Just in time for our raging flu season (well not really, because as we all know vaccines take a good long while to produce), Emergent Biosolutions, our nation’s supplier of the current anthrax vaccine, is on the way to producing an experimental flu vaccine.
Gazette.net – “Back in June, Emergent BioSolutions, the Rockville biotech that sells the only approved anthrax vaccine to the federal government, won a federal grant worth up to $220 million to establish a new biodefense development and manufacturing center in Maryland. Late last week, the company announced that it acquired the license to manufacture and sell an experimental pandemic influenza vaccine to help meet its commitment under that grant. Under its deal with VaxInnate of Cranbury, N.J., Emergent said in a statement, it gains exclusive rights to the candidate, a recombinant vaccine that has the potential to be produced quickly and cost-effectively with high yields. VaxInnate will continue to develop the candidate under its current contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, while Emergent will produce it, using flexible manufacturing technology. Emergent also works with the federal authority to develop a second-generation anthrax vaccine.”
Will be out Monday! So sorry for the delay everyone, the flu epidemic which has swept the nation has swept the GMU Biodefense blog as well. Apparently writing about disease does not make one immune. Stay healthy and check back Monday morning.
GMU Biodefense Faculty member Dr. Gregory Koblentz, who is also the Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, was interviewed by Executive Magazine for a piece on Syrian chemical weapons:
“’The United States and other nations have issued strong statements to deter the Assad regime from using chemical weapons. It is hard to think of how the Assad regime could use chemical weapons where the benefits outweigh the costs,’ says Gregory Koblentz, a proliferation and terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Indeed, the use of chemical weapons has become understood as the “red line” that would prompt western military intervention in the Syrian conflict. One possible situation for chemical weapons use, however, is if the regime is on the verge of collapse, says Koblentz. In such a scenario, ‘these rational cost-benefit calculations may not apply.’ But then again, ‘the issue becomes whether [Assad’s] order can be transmitted to chemical weapons-armed units in the field and if those orders would be obeyed.’ ”
Welcome to the first Report of 2013! Highlights include moving Plum Island to Kansas, studying the novel coronavirus which has us a little spooked, the earliest start to the flu season in 9 years, studying cells after antibiotic exposure, and giant panda blood (it’s relevant, I swear). Happy Friday!
Chalk up another victory to the government in the ongoing battle to build that animal research lab in Kansas. Unsurprisingly, many people feel very uncomfortable with the idea of a scientists handling foot-and-mouth in their backyard, especially if their backyard is a large dairy farm. It looks plans to complete the lab in Kansas are nonetheless underway.
Kansas City Star – “Department of Homeland Security officials have signed a land transfer agreement that allows for the construction of a new federal animal research lab near Kansas State University in Manhattan. Gov. Sam Brownback and members of the state’s congressional delegation announced that the move indicated the federal department is committed to building the $1.14 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Kansas was selected for the animal research lab after a lengthy competition in 2009. The Homeland Security Department will acquire about 46 acres for the lab near the north end of Kansas State. Research will be conducted on deadly animal pathogens, including foot and mouth disease.”
The novel coronovirus popping up in the Middle East is getting some very serious attention here in the US. Corona being a bit of a dark horse – see SARS – determining whether this new form is transmissible person-to-person remains a priority.
San Francisco Chronicle – “Scientists at a western Montana laboratory are teaming with researchers at a university in the Netherlands to determine whether a newly discovered, deadly virus can spread from person to person. The new coronavirus was identified when a man died in Saudi Arabia in September. Five others died in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in November, the Ravalli Republic reported Thursday. Five other people were sickened by the virus, but they recovered. Until an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, killed 900 people and sickened 8,000 in 2003, most scientists viewed coronaviruses as relatively harmless.”
According to the CDC, the 2012-2013 flu season has had the earliest start in nearly a decade, with 29 states reporting “high levels of influenza-like-illness” (ILI). For those of you interested, the CDC publishes weekly reports on just the flu (alliteratively named “FluView“), which details things like the prevalence of the strains identified. For instance, last week, 79% of the Influenza- positive tests reported to the CDC were Influenza-A, and of that 79%, 98% were H3N2, and 2% were H1N1. Moral of the story? Get your flu shot.
CDC – “Influenza activity continues to increase in the United States and most of the country is now experiencing high levels of influenza-like-illness (ILI), according to CDC’s latest FluView report. “Reports of influenza-like-illness (ILI) are nearing what have been peak levels during moderately severe seasons,” according to Dr. Joe Bresee. CDC continues to recommend influenza vaccination and antiviral treatment when appropriate at this time. ‘While we can’t say for certain how severe this season will be, we can say that a lot of people are getting sick with influenza and we are getting reports of severe illness and hospitalizations,’ says Bresee, who is Chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in CDC’s Influenza Division.”
In our most science-y piece of the week, we look at the using micofluidics to study antibiotic resistance in TB. For the first time, scientists are able to monitor cell growth pre- and post-exposure to antibiotics, with some interesting results. Contrary to popular belief, bacteria which survived the antibiotics often did not stopped dividing, and therefore remained “very dynamic.”
Homeland Security Newswire – “Scientists used microfluidics to observe the behavior of individual tuberculosis-like bacteria in the presence of antibiotics. Their observations call into question the prevailing theory of bacterial resistance, and they have proposed a new explanation for why some bacteria become resistant. The research is published 4 January 2013 in the journal Science. It is often difficult completely to eliminate a bacterial infection with antibiotics; part of the population usually manages to survive. This phenomenon has been known for quite some time, dating back nearly to the discovery of penicillin. For more than fifty years, scientists have believed that the resistant bacteria were individuals that had stopped growing and dividing.”
According to a new study conducted by researchers at the Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University in China, giant panda bloods is replete with a compound called cathelicidin-AM, which can kill bacteria in under an hour (standard antibiotics take closer to six hours). Before you start to wonder, aghast, how one farms giant panda blood, let me stop you – the compound can be synthesized, without any pandas present, in labs.
Discovery News – “Giant panda blood may hold the secret to curing superbug illnesses in humans as well as other diseases, according to new research. The teddy bear-like animals would hardly seem to be associated with industrial strength cleanser and potent antibiotics, but their link with these possible cure alls now appears to have been forged. The primary component in giant panda blood is called cathelicidin-AM. It was found after analyzing the panda’s DNA.”
Congratulations to our brilliant Biodefense MS Students, Alan Muhammet and Justin Ludgate! Both these brains have secured internships with START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism).
The Pandora Report 