Biosecurity News and Research

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Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive alien species, living modified organisms.

Resurgent outbreak of avian influenza underscores need for control efforts at animal source

A resurgent outbreak of a new strain of avian influenza that can be lethal for humans underscores the need for robust and rapid detection and response systems at animal source.

20 Mar 2017

Landmark study of virosphere uncovers 1445 viruses

A landmark study of the virosphere of the most populous animals – those without backbones such as insects, spiders and worms and that live around our houses – has uncovered 1445 viruses, revealing people have only scratched the surface of the world of viruses – but it is likely that only a few cause disease.

25 Nov 2016

Congenital CMV infection highly common among children with cerebral palsy, study finds

Cytomegalovirus is a common herpesvirus that can cross the placenta, infect the fetus and cause damage to the developing brain.

15 Nov 2016

Study provides new insights into Zika's rapid infection and risk for transmission

Though first documented 70 years ago, the Zika virus was poorly understood when it burst onto the scene in the Americas in 2015.

7 Oct 2016

Culex mosquitoes not involved in transmission of Zika virus, study finds

A Biosecurity Research Institute study has found important results in the fight against Zika virus: Culex mosquitoes do not appear to transmit Zika virus.

5 Oct 2016

Scientists fabricate smart second skin to protect soldiers from biological and chemical threats

In work that aims to protect soldiers from biological and chemical threats, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists has created a material that is highly breathable yet protective from biological agents.

3 Aug 2016

New Valley Fever testing technology developed by TGen and NAU receives U.S. patent

Valley Fever, a potentially deadly dust-borne fungal disease, should be easier to diagnose and treat thanks to a testing technology developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Northern Arizona University, and now protected by a patent issued today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

3 Aug 2016

Preventing zoonotic diseases from pets to people: an interview with Dr Monique Éloit, OIE Director General

Zoonotic diseases are diseases or infections which are naturally transmissible from animals to humans, as defined in the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

13 Jul 2016

Biosecurity Research Institute takes two-part approach in fighting Zika virus

Kansas State University is helping the fight against Zika virus through mosquito research.

4 Jul 2016

New superbug test developed by TGen-NAU receives Australian patent

Antibiotic-resistant infections should be easier to detect, and hospitals could become safer, thanks to a technology developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Northern Arizona University, and protected under a patent issued by Australia.

16 Jun 2016

Saint Louis University research finds that China's smoking rates may start to decline

Younger Chinese teenage boys are less likely to start smoking than those born longer ago, according to research from Saint Louis University and Chongqing University.

11 Feb 2016

Missouri schools underprepared for pandemics, natural disasters and bioterrorism attacks

Missouri schools are no more prepared to respond to pandemics, natural disasters, and bioterrorism attacks than they were in 2011, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

6 Oct 2015

SLU biostatistician encourages people to interpret scientific and medical research

Thanks to the internet, access to research studies, medical news and health websites is greater than ever, offering instant admission to the world of medical knowledge.

29 Sep 2015

New synthetic gene drives could one day improve human health and the environment

Gene drives are genetic elements - found naturally in the genomes of most of the world's organisms - that increase the chance of the gene they carry being passed on to all offspring, and thus, they can quickly spread through populations. Looking to these natural systems, researchers around the world, including some Wyss Institute scientists, are developing synthetic gene drives that could one day be leveraged by humans to purposefully alter the traits of wild populations of organisms to prevent disease transmission and eradicate invasive species.

31 Jul 2015

Woman's weight during first pregnancy can negatively affect second baby

A woman's weight during her first pregnancy can affect how her second baby fares, Saint Louis University research finds.

21 Jul 2015

UAB scientists create alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy

A team of scientists from the Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the UAB has produced an alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy. The researchers synthesised nanoparticles which act as artificial viruses, capable of surrounding DNA fragments and releasing them as therapeutic agents, with no biological risk, into the interior of the cells.

9 Apr 2015

Penn, UGA scientists awarded new contract to develop genome database for microbial pathogens

At the turn of the millennium, the cost to sequence a single human genome exceeded $50 million, and the process took a decade to complete. Microbes have genomes, too, and the first reference genome for a malaria parasite was completed in 2002 at a cost of roughly $15 million. But today researchers can sequence a genome in a single afternoon for just a few thousand dollars. Related technologies make it possible to capture information about all genes in the genome, in all tissues, from multiple individuals.

18 Dec 2014

Canadian government committed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, committed to continued efforts to strengthen global health security at the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) meeting in Washington, DC.

27 Sep 2014

University of Liverpool researchers identify pathogens that pose greater risk to people in Europe

The pathogens posing the greatest risk to Europe based upon a proxy for impact have been identified by University of Liverpool researchers using a 'big data' approach to scientific research.

28 Aug 2014

WIRB-Copernicus Group acquires Alliance Biosciences

WIRB-Copernicus Group, the world's largest provider of regulatory and ethical review services for clinical research, announced today that it has acquired Alliance Biosciences. Formerly a division of Richmond, VA-based Alliance Engineering, Alliance Biosciences was the leading biosafety and biosecurity consulting firm in the United States.

24 Jul 2014