November 22, 2016
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The UPMC Center for Health Security is now accepting applications for the 2017 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI) Fellowship Program!
"Biosecurity" refers to the policies and actions taken to protect the civilian and military populations against biological agents, whether the agent is intentionally released or naturally occurring. ELBI was created to identify, develop, and provide networking opportunities to the next generation of leaders in this exciting, challenging, and multidisciplinary field.
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Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Addressing Emerging Zoonoses and Strengthening Animal and Human Health Systems.
CDC intends to receive and consider a single source application for award of a cooperative agreement in FY17 to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to support global strategies that address health risks at the animal-human-ecosystem interface. The purpose of this agreement is to assist FAO in building capacities of national governments and regional authorities to address emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases at the animal-human-ecosystem interface, poverty associated endemic zoonotic diseases, transboundary animal diseases, and other public health threats such as antimicrobial resistance.
(Grants.gov, 11/21/16)
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Planning Grant for Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program.
Planning grants should describe a detailed vision for a research-training program that focuses on a major endemic or life-threatening emerging infectious disease, neglected tropical disease, infections that frequently occur as a co-infection in HIV infected individuals or infections associated with non-communicable disease conditions of public health importance in low- and middle-income countries.
(Grants.gov, 11/17/16)
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PRESS RELEASE
Senate Passes Ayotte Bill to Support First Responders.
Last night, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill introduced by US Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Chris Coons (D-DE) to make anthrax vaccines available to first responders. The First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act passed the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously in December 2015, and the House unanimously passed a similar bill in July 2015.
(Sen. Kelly Ayotte, 11/17/16)
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| GUIDANCE
Zika Virus. CDC has released new guidance documents pertaining to the prevention, testing, and control of Zika virus. (CDC, 11/16/16)
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BLOG
This is a Test: Georgia Practices for Bioterrorist Threats.
Armed with the knowledge that practice makes perfect, the Georgia Department of Public Health is conducting a statewide exercise to test its systems and practice responding to a large-scale public health emergency. It is a giant effort involving the entire state: all 18 regional emergency operations centers are activating, and they are working closely with CDC.
(CDC, 11/16/16)
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PRESS RELEASE
NIH-Led Effort Examines Use of Big Data for Infectious Disease Surveillance.
Big data derived from electronic health records, social media, the internet and other digital sources have the potential to provide more timely and detailed information on infectious disease threats or outbreaks than traditional surveillance methods. A team of scientists led by the National Institutes of Health reviewed the growing body of research on the subject and has published its analyses in a special issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
(NIH, 11/14/16)
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WORKSHOP
The Sentinel Post-Licensure Rapid Immunization Safety Monitoring (PRISM) System.
The purpose of the workshop (hosted by FDA) is to describe the Sentinel Initiative and PRISM program, illustrate how PRISM is used by FDA for regulatory responsibilities (including how it has been integrated into FDA's regulatory review process and case examples), and discuss the future direction of PRISM in terms of expansion and further integration into the regulatory review process.The workshop will take place on December 7, from 8:30 AM-5 PM.
(FDA, 11/16)
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Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
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Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
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REPORT
NRC Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2016.
This report presents the
NRC's continuing success in achieving our mission to ensure the safe and secure use
of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and
the environment. The report also provides key financial and performance information
to Congress and the American people on how we used our resources during FY 2016.
(NRC, 11/16)
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Science & Technology Policy
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NEWS
US Military Preps for Gene Drives Run Amok.
Over the next four years a new program in the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to cultivate, among other things, a kind of cleanup crew for engineered genes deemed harmful to or undesirable in an ecosystem. The initiative, called Safe Genes, comes at a time when so-called "gene drive" systems, which override the standard rules of gene inheritance and natural selection, are raising hopes among some scientists that the technology could alter or suppress populations of disease-carrying insects or other pests in as few as 20 generations.
(Scientific American, 11/18/16)
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REPORT
CRISPR: A Revolutionary Tool for Editing the Code of Life?
CRISPR-cas9 is a new gene editing tool that offers the potential for substantial improvements in ease of use, speed, efficacy, and cost. Many in the scientific, engineering, and business communities believe CRISPR may offer revolutionary advances in the investigation, prevention, and treatment of diseases; understanding of gene function; crop yields and varieties; production of chemicals used in biofuels, adhesives, and fragrances; and control of invasive species.
(Congressional Research Service, 11/17/16)
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NEWS
NIH Director's Possible Exit Plan: Back to the Lab.
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the past 7 years, expects to go back to full-time research for a while if he's not asked to stay on by President-elect Donald Trump, the physician-geneticist said this week. And he expressed unhappiness with Congress's plan to freeze NIH spending at current levels well into next year, dubbing it "crap."
(Science, 11/18/16)
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REPORT
Trial Reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov - The Final Rule.
Title VIII of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act of 2007 expanded the legal mandate for sponsors and others responsible for certain clinical trials of FDA-regulated drug, biologic, and device products to register their studies and report summary results information to ClinicalTrials.gov, which is managed by the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.
(New England Journal of Medicine, 11/17/16)
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| There are no hearings scheduled for this week. |
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