MedWorm: Anthrax Vaccine

Universal Detection Technology Addresses First Responder Anthrax Vaccinations

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, issued a response today to a growing interest in the security and emergency response communities to immunize first responders most susceptible to anthrax exposure. The issue was brought to the forefront recently at the annual EMS Today Conference in Baltimore, where Dr... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Universal Detection Technology Addresses First Responder Anthrax Vaccinations

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, issued a response today to a growing interest in the security and emergency response communities to immunize first responders most susceptible to anthrax exposure... (Source: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today)

Vaccination, squalene and anti-squalene antibodies: Facts or fiction?

European Journal of Internal Medicine — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:37:01 +0100

Authors: Lippi G, Targher G, Franchini M Squalene, a hydrocarbon obtained for commercial purposes primarily from shark liver oil and other botanic sources, is increasingly used as an immunologic adjuvant in several vaccines, including seasonal and the novel influenza A (H1N1) 2009 pandemic flu vaccines. Nearly a decade ago, squalene was supposed to be the experimental anthrax vaccine ingredient that caused the onset of Persian Gulf War syndrome in many veterans, since antibodies to squalene were detected in the blood of most patients affected by this syndrome. This evidence has raised a widespread concern about the safety of squalene containing adjuvants (especially MF59) of influenza vaccines. Nevertheless, further clinical evidence clearly suggested that squalene is poorly immunogeni...

Emergent BioSolutions revenue up 50%

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:22:41 +0100

Sales of its anthrax vaccine to the U.S. government boosted revenue for Rockville-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc. by 50 percent. (EBS) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Immunostimulatory CpG oligonucleotides: Effect on gene expression and utility as vaccine adjuvants.

Vaccine — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Klinman DM, Klaschik S, Tomaru K, Shirota H, Tross D, Ikeuchi H Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing unmethylated CpG motifs mimic the immunostimulatory activity of bacterial DNA. CpG ODN directly stimulate B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), promote the production of Th1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and trigger the maturation/activation of professional antigen presenting cells. CpG ODN are finding use as vaccine adjuvants, where they increase the speed, magnitude and duration of vaccine-specific immune responses. For example, CpG ODN significantly prolong the protection induced by AVA (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed). Unexpectedly, a majority of animals immunized with CpG-adjuvanted AVA maintain resistance to anthrax infection even after their Ab titers d...

Immunovaccine Presents Results For An Enhanced Anthrax Vaccine Candidate

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Immunovaccine Inc. (TSX VENTURE:IMV) announced that it has been invited to present at the Canada - U.S. Partners in Biomedical Defense II Conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. At the Conference the Company will present positive new research, done in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), confirming the number of required doses for an anthrax vaccine candidate can be reduced when formulated in DepoVax™... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Immunovaccine Presents Results For An Enhanced Anthrax Vaccine Candidate

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

PharmAthene Submits White Paper To BARDA For Advanced Development Funding For SparVax(TM) - Novel Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that it has submitted a White Paper in response to the Broad Agency Announcement (Solicitation Number: BAA-BARDA-09-34) issued by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the Advanced Research and Development of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Medical Countermeasures. In December 2009, this BAA was specially modified and extended to accommodate rPA-related submissions. David P... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

PharmAthene Submits White Paper To BARDA For Advanced Development Funding For SparVax(TM) - Novel Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

PharmAthene, Inc... (Source: Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today)

Gastrointestinal anthrax diagnosed in U.S.

CBC | Health — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:09:02 +0100

Antibiotics and vaccines are being offered to about 80 people in the state of New Hampshire as authorities investigate America's first known case of gastrointestinal anthrax. (Source: CBC | Health)

PharmAthene shares plunge after vacine request is axed

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:34:18 +0100

Shares in biodefense company PharmAthene were down more than 50 percent Tuesday after a federal agency canceled its request for an anthrax vaccine supplier. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

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PharmAthene shares plunge after vacine request is axed

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:34:18 +0100

PharmAthene Presents rPA Anthrax Vaccine Data at the 2009 HHS PHEMCE Stakeholders Workshop

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:57:04 +0100

New Data Shows PharmAthene's Lyophilized rPA Anthrax Vaccine Could Provide a Stable Cold-Chain-Free Vaccine for Potential Storage and Distribution at Room Temperature ANNAPOLIS, Md., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex:... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

Elsevier Journal Vaccine Features Milestone Biodefense Publication

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Last week during the 'Vaccines for Biothreats and Emerging and Neglected Diseases Symposium' in Galveston TX, USA, the Elsevier journal Vaccine released a supplement dedicated to vaccines for biodefense. This publication provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview on vaccines that have been developed against a diverse group of human and veterinary pathogens, including Bacillus anthracis, smallpox, and blue tongue. (Source: Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today)

Milestone biodefense publication by Elsevier journal Vaccine

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

(Elsevier) Last week during the Vaccines for Biothreats and Emerging and Neglected Diseases Symposium in Galveston Texas, the Elsevier journal Vaccine released a supplement dedicated to vaccines for biodefense. This publication provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview on vaccines that have been developed against a diverse group of human and veterinary pathogens, including Bacillus anthracis, smallpox and blue tongue. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

BslA, the S-layer adhesin of B. anthracis, is a virulence factor for anthrax pathogenesis

Molecular Microbiology — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Microbial pathogens use adhesive surface proteins to bind to and interact with host tissues, events that are universal for the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. A surface adhesin of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, required to mediate these steps has not been discovered. Previous work identified BslA, an S-layer protein, to be necessary and sufficient for adhesion of the anthrax vaccine strain, Bacillus anthracis Sterne, to host cells. Here we asked whether encapsulated bacilli require BslA for anthrax pathogenesis in guinea pigs. Compared with the highly virulent parent strain B. anthracis Ames, bslA mutants displayed a dramatic increase in the lethal dose and in mean time-to-death. Whereas all tissues of animals infected with B. anthracis Ames contained high numbers...

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Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing

PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:59:08 +0100

The Human Anthrax Vaccine Program must be stopped. Scott Miller and Company has completed the feature film "A Call to Arms:2009 Edition" and the one-hour television documentary "Fatal Immunity: The Human Anthrax Vaccine Story" to inform the public about the clear and present danger of top secret government science turned into for-profit human anthrax vaccines with no accountability to its victims. It is available for world-wide licensing by motion picture and television distributors and exhibitors. (PRWeb Nov 4, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/scottmillerandco/documentarypackage/prweb3147264.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)

Human Anthrax Vaccines - A Call To Arms

Disabled World — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:38:32 +0100

BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed Emergent BioSolutions) - updated on RxList

RxList - New and Updated Drug Monographs — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100

BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed Emergent BioSolutions) drug description - FDA approved labeling for prescription drugs and medications at RxList (Source: RxList - New and Updated Drug Monographs)

Questions raised about Human Genome Science's anthrax vaccine

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:28:00 +0100

A report prepared for a Food and Drug Administration panel scheduled to consider approval of Human Genome Sciences Inc.’s experimental anthrax drug questions whether it works better in humans than existing treatments. (HGSI) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

Questions raised about Human Genome Science's anthrax vaccine

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:28:00 +0100

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What is the Appropriate Treatment for a Pedal Puncture Wound?

PediatricEducation.org — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:19:02 +0100

Discussion Ciprofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones have demonstrated cartilage and joint toxicity when administered to immature laboratory animals. Therefore health care providers have been reluctant to use fluoroquinolones in young children and voluntarily have avoided them. However in 2002, more than 182,000 courses of fluoroquinolones were administered to children. Research data is limited but the pediatric safety profile appears to be similar to the adult safety profile. Current indications for fluoroquinolones include complicated urinary tract infections, treatment of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients such as patients with cancer, patients with cystic fibrosis and certain Shigella and Salmonella infections, and for inhalational anthrax. Fluoroquinolones are often...

NIAID To Fund Development Of Emergent BioSolutions' Advanced Anthrax Vaccine Candidate

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it was awarded a cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to further the development of one of Emergent's advanced anthrax vaccine candidates known as dmPA7909... (Source: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today)

NIAID To Fund Development Of Emergent BioSolutions' Advanced Anthrax Vaccine Candidate

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100

Unanswered questions and ethical issues concerning US biodefence research [Controversies]

Journal of Medical Ethics — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:01:30 +0100

Unanswered questions and ethical issues associated with US biodefence medical research over the past five decades are discussed. Objective scientific standards are essential for making policy decisions that can stand the test of time. For decades, scholars have reported that the human anthrax vaccine field trials conducted in the 1950s by Brachman and his colleagues were single-blind rather than double-blind. Nevertheless, in March 2005, Dr Philip S Brachman reported in a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration that his study had been double-blind. It is here argued that, rather, the field trial of a human anthrax vaccine should continue to be deemed as single-blind unless more detailed information is provided to explain exactly how the investigators were kept unaware of which subjec...

[Controversies] Unanswered questions and ethical issues concerning US biodefence research

Journal of Medical Ethics — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

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Development of antibodies against anthrose tetrasaccharide for specific detection of B. anthracis spores.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kuehn A, Kovác P, Saksena R, Bannert N, Klee SR, Ranisch H, Grunow R The immunological detection of Bacillus anthracis in various environmental samples and the discrimination from other members of the B. cereus group is not well established yet. To generate specific discriminating antibodies, we immunized rabbits, mice and chicken with inactivated B. anthracis spores and, additionally, rabbits and mice with the tetrasaccharide [beta-Ant-(1-->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->2)-L-Rhap]. It is a constituent of the exosporium glycoprotein BclA and contains the newly discovered sugar anthrose [2-O-methyl-4-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutamido)-4,6-dideoxy-beta-D-glucose]. The BclA protein is a major component of the exosporium of B. anthracis spores and is decorated ...

Military Anthrax Vaccine Mandate is Upheld

Health News: CBSNews.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:15:35 +0100

Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Lawsuit by Service Members who Question Its Effectiveness (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)

Medical countermeasures to protect humans from anthrax bioterrorism.

Trends in Microbiology — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article summarizes the most important medical countermeasures that have mostly been developed since the 2001 events, and highlights current problems and possible avenues for future research. PMID: 19781945 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Microbiology)

Recombinant Sindbis Virus Vectors Designed to Express Protective Antigen of Bacillus anthracis Protect Animals from Anthrax and Display Synergy with Ciprofloxacin.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Thomas JM, Moen ST, Gnade BT, Vargas-Inchaustegui DA, Foltz SM, Suarez G, Heidner HW, König R, Chopra AK, Peterson JW Recombinant Sindbis viruses were engineered to express alternative forms of the protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis. The recombinant viruses induced PA-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies in Swiss Webster mice. Vaccination with the recombinant viruses induced immunity that offered some protection from a lethal Ames spore challenge, and synergized the protective effects of ciprofloxacin. PMID: 19759250 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical and Vaccine Immunology)

Scientists Move Closer To A Safer Anthrax Vaccine

ScienceDaily Headlines — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:37:40 +0100

Researchers have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

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Scientists Move Closer To A Safer Anthrax Vaccine

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. The research is significant because anthrax is considered a major bioterrorism threat. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Einstein Scientists Move Closer to a Safer Anthrax Vaccine

Einstein News — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:10:11 +0100

Future Vaccine Could Benefit Military and Others at High Risk ... go to aecom.yu.edu for full story (Source: Einstein News)

PharmAthene Presents Data for Valortim Anthrax Anti-Toxin and Third Generation rPA Anthrax Vaccine Programs at the Bacillus - ACT 2009 Conference

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:04:01 +0100

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that data from the Company's third generation... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

Einstein scientists move closer to a safer anthrax vaccine

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:00:00 +0100

(Albert Einstein College of Medicine) Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Identification of Linear Epitopes in Bacillus anthracis Protective Antigen Bound by Neutralizing Antibodies [Biomolecular Networks]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Protective antigen (PA), the binding subunit of anthrax toxin, is the major component in the current anthrax vaccine, but the fine antigenic structure of PA is not well defined. To identify linear neutralizing epitopes of PA, 145 overlapping peptides covering the entire sequence of the protein were synthesized. Six monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and antisera from mice specific for PA were tested for their reactivity to the peptides by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Three major linear immunodominant B-cell epitopes were mapped to residues Leu156 to Ser170, Val196 to Ile210, and Ser312 to Asn326 of the PA protein. Two mAbs with toxin-neutralizing activity recognized two different epitopes in close proximity to the furin cleavage site in domain 1. The three-dimensional complex structure of...

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Raxibacumab

Prous Science - Molecule of the Month — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:25:21 +0100

Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes anthrax infections, was the first bacterium demonstrated to cause a disease. The use of anthrax as a biological weapon dates back to World War I, when the German army is believed to have injected horses, mules and cattle with anthrax toxin. In 1937 Japan initiated a biological warfare program, and the U.S. and U.K. followed suit half a decade later. The United States' biological weapons program was terminated in 1969, and in 1972 the Biological Weapons and Toxins Convention outlawed the development and stockpiling of biological weapons. Since that time, however, this class of weapon has remained in the shadows, primarily developed and stockpiled by underground terrorist groups in addition to certain “renegade” countries. In the 1990s the Jap...

Poly-γ-d-glutamic acid and protective antigen conjugate vaccines induce functional antibodies against the protective antigen and capsule of Bacillus anthracis in guinea-pigs and rabbits

FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this study, we report that PA[ndash]PGA conjugates induce expressions of anti-PA, anti-PGA and toxin-neutralizing antibodies in guinea-pigs and completely protect guinea-pigs against a 50 × LD50 challenge with fully virulent B. anthracis spores. Polyclonal rabbit antisera produced against either PA or ovalbumin conjugated to a PGA-15mer offer a partial passive protection to guinea-pigs against B. anthracis infection, indicating that anti-PGA antibodies play a protective role. Our results demonstrate that PA[ndash]PGA conjugate vaccines are effective in the guinea-pig model, in addition to the previously reported mouse model. (Source: FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology)

Reproductive toxicity of BioThrax® in rabbits

Birth Defects Research Part B: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: AVA directly, or indirectly through the production of anti-PA IgG, did not appear to have an adverse effect on the pregnant females or their offspring, as measured by mating and fertility indices, natural delivery observations, clinical signs, gross lesions, in utero growth and survival, morphological development, or kit viability. Birth Defects Res (Part B), 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Birth Defects Research Part B: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology)

Adverse events after anthrax vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990-2007 [Vaccine 2009;27:290-297].

Vaccine — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Niu M, Ball R PMID: 19716457 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Vaccine)

Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents

Springer Medicine titles — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:54:32 +0100

A New Dilemma for the 21st Century series: Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century This volume in the series Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available on bioterrorism agents such as:Anthrax, smallpox, plague, and SARS Vaccine development New anti-viral drug development Treatment and protection Threat analysis and response Biological and chemical agents Compiled by two of the leading ... (Source: Springer Medicine titles)

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Aluminum hydroxide injections lead to motor deficits and motor neuron degeneration.

Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Shaw CA, Petrik MS Gulf War Syndrome is a multi-system disorder afflicting many veterans of Western armies in the 1990-1991 Gulf War. A number of those afflicted may show neurological deficits including various cognitive dysfunctions and motor neuron disease, the latter expression virtually indistinguishable from classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) except for the age of onset. This ALS "cluster" represents the second such ALS cluster described in the literature to date. Possible causes of GWS include several of the adjuvants in the anthrax vaccine and others. The most likely culprit appears to be aluminum hydroxide. In an initial series of experiments, we examined the potential toxicity of aluminum hydroxide in male, outbred CD-1 mice injected subcutaneously in two e...

Analysis of the Fc{gamma} Receptor-Dependent Component of Neutralization Measured by Anthrax Toxin Neutralization Assays.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this study, we investigated the magnitude and molecular nature of Fcgamma receptor-dependent toxin neutralization observed in commonly used forms of the anthrax toxin neutralization assay. Significantly more Fcgamma receptor-dependent neutralization was observed in the J774A.1 cell-based assay as compared to the RAW 264.7 cell-based assay, a finding that could be due to larger numbers of Fcgamma receptors that we found on J774A.1 cells using flow cytometry. Thus, the extent to which Fcgamma receptor-dependent neutralization contributes to the total neutralization measured by the assay depends on the specific cell type utilized in the assay. Using Fcgamma-receptor blocking monoclonal antibodies, we found that at least three murine Fcgamma receptor classes, IIB, III, and IV, can contribut...

Novel and Unique Diagnostic Biomarkers for Bacillus anthracis Infection.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sela-Abramovich S, Chitlaru T, Gat O, Grosfeld H, Cohen O, Shafferman A Search of bacterial-specific biomarkers in peripheral blood, following infection with Bacillus anthracis was carried out in rabbits using a battery of specific antibodies generated by DNA vaccination against 10 pre-selected highly immunogenic bacterial antigens which were identified previously by a genomic/proteomic/serologic screen of the B. anthracis secretome. Detection of infection biomarkers in the circulation of infected rabbits could be achieved only after removal of highly abundant serum proteins by chromatography using a random-ligand affinity column. Besides the toxin component Protective Antigen (PA), three secreted proteins were detected in the circulation of infected animals: the chaperone and...

Protection against anthrax and plague by a combined vaccine in mice and rabbits.

Vaccine — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this study, the authors have investigated the antibody responses and the protective efficacy when the antigens were administered separately or in combination intramuscularly formulation adsorbed to an aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. Results show that immunized rF1+rV and rPA antigen together was as effective as separately for induction of serological antibody response, and these titers were maintained for over 1 year in mice. An isotype analysis of the serum indicates that the co-administration of these antigens did not influence the antigen-specific IgG1/IgG2a ratio which was consistent with a Th2 bias. Furthermore, the combined vaccine comprising the protein antigens rF1+rV+rPA has been demonstrated to protect mice from subcutaneous challenge with 10(7) colony-forming units (CFU) virulen...

Gamma-phage lysin PlyG sequence-based synthetic peptides coupled with Qdot-nanocrystals are useful for developing detection methods for Bacillus anthracis by using its surrogates, B. anthracis-Sterne and B. cereus-4342

BMC Biotechnology - Latest articles — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Overall, these studies illustrate that the short 10-amino acid sequence 'LKMTADFILQ' in fact is a stand-alone bacterial cell wall-binding motif of PlyG. In principle, synthetic peptides PlyG-P1, PlyG-P3 and PlyG-P5, especially PlyG-P3 coupled with Qdot-nanocrystals are useful as high-sensitivity bio-probes in developing detection technologies for B. anthracis. (Source: BMC Biotechnology - Latest articles)

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PharmAthene's 2nd Generation RPA Anthrax Vaccine, SparVax(TM), Completes FDA Regulatory Strategy Review

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0100

PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its review of the Company's proposed development plan for SparVax(TM), PharmAthene's next generation recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

PharmAthene's 2nd Generation rPA Anthrax Vaccine, SparVax™, Completes FDA Regulatory Strategy Review

Pharmaceutical Online News — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:55:00 +0100

PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its review of the Company's proposed development plan for SparVax™, PharmAthene's next generation recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine. (Source: Pharmaceutical Online News)

Human naive and memory CD4+ T cell repertoires specific for naturally processed antigens analyzed using libraries of amplified T cells

The Journal of Experimental Medicine — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this study, libraries of polyclonally expanded naive T cells were used to determine frequency and antigen dose–response of human naive CD4+ T cells specific for a variety of antigens and to isolate antigen-specific T cell clones. In the naive repertoire, T cells specific for primary antigens, such as KLH and Bacillus anthracis protective antigen, and for recall antigens, such as tetanus toxoid, cytomegalovirus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis purified protein derivative, were detected at frequencies ranging from 5 to 170 cells per 106 naive T cells. Antigen concentrations required for half-maximal response (EC50) varied over several orders of magnitude for different naive T cells. In contrast, in the memory repertoire, T cells specific for primary antigens were not detected, wherea...

Namibia: Northern Anthrax Fears Tamed

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:31:32 +0100

The risk of an anthrax outbreak in the flood stricken areas in the north motivated the Veterinary Association of Namibia to donate vaccines to the Directorate of Veterinary Services. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Emergent BioSolutions Meets With FDA To Review Regulatory Strategy For Recombinant Anthrax Vaccine

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it has met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review Emergent's regulatory strategy for the development of its recombinant anthrax (rPA) vaccine. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Emergent BioSolutions Receives FDA Approval Extending Shelf Life Of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) To 4 Years

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that its flagship product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), has been granted a shelf life extension from 3 to 4 years by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Emergent BioSolutions Receives FDA Approval Extending Shelf Life of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to 4 Years

Drugs.com - New Drug Approvals — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:56:45 +0100

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 10, 2009 - Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that its flagship product, BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), has been granted a shelf life extension from 3 to 4 years by the U.S. Food and Drug... (Source: Drugs.com - New Drug Approvals)

Anthrax

MayoClinic.com Full Feed — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

— Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, vaccine, risks of this deadly bacterial disease. Sponsored by:Chemotherapy.com - http://www.chemotherapy.com (Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed)

Secondary cell wall polysaccharides of Bacillus anthracis are antigens that contain specific epitopes which cross-react with three pathogenic Bacillus cereus strains that caused severe disease, and other epitopes common to all the Bacillus cereus strains tested

Glycobiology — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

The immunoreactivities of hydrogen fluoride (HF)-released cell wall polysaccharides (HF-PSs) from selected Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus strains were compared using antisera against live and killed B. anthracis spores. These antisera bound to the HF-PSs from B. anthracis and from three clinical B. cereus isolates (G9241, 03BB87, and 03BB102) obtained from cases of severe or fatal human pneumonia but did not bind to the HF-PSs from the closely related B. cereus ATCC 10987 or from B. cereus type strain ATCC 14579. Antiserum against a keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate of the B. anthracis HF-PS (HF-PS-KLH) also bound to HF-PSs and cell walls from B. anthracis and the three clinical B. cereus isolates, and B. anthracis spores. These results indicate that the B. anthracis HF-PS is an ...

Emergent BioSolutions Launches BioThrax.com, An Educational Website About BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) And Anthrax Disease

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced the launch of http://www.biothrax.com, a website that provides information about BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of anthrax infection. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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PharmAthene Presents Data For SparVax(TM), A Novel Vaccine For The Prevention And Treatment Of Anthrax Infection

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100

PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that results from a second Phase II study of SparVax(TM) were presented yesterday at the 12th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, being held in Baltimore, MD, April 27-29, 2009. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

PharmAthene Presents Data for SparVax, a Novel Vaccine for the Prevention and Treatment of Anthrax Infection, at the 12th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:37:16 +0100

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 28, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. , a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that results from a second Phase II study of SparVax(TM) were... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

HHS Extends Deadline For Bidders In Competitive Range For Recombinant Anthrax Vaccine Contract To Submit Development Plan To FDA For Review

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an additional amendment to its request for proposal for an Anthrax Recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) Vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile. (Source: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today)

HHS Requires Bidders In Competitive Range For Recombinant Anthrax Vaccine (rPA) Contract To Submit Development Plan To FDA For Review

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that late on April 15th, HHS requested that each bidder in the competitive range for the rPA contract submit its product development plans to FDA for review in advance of an award. Emergent had already requested and is presently scheduling a meeting with the FDA as part of its pre-award activity. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Existing antibacterial vaccines

Dermatologic Therapy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article will review the currently approved antibacterial vaccines, which are vaccines for pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, meningococcus, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenza, cholera, typhoid, and anthrax. (Source: Dermatologic Therapy)

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Nanotechnology May Aid in Earlier Anthrax Detection

Modern Medicine — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

A new test utilizing nanotechnology may be able to detect anthrax infection earlier than existing methods, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement of research published in the March Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. (Source: Modern Medicine)

New Generation Oral Vaccine Uses Dairy Probiotics To Protect Against Disease

Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0100

Instead of a dreaded injection with a needle, someday getting vaccinated against disease may be as pleasant as drinking a yogurt smoothie. A researcher from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has developed a new oral vaccine using probiotics, the healthy bacteria that are found in dairy products like yogurt and cheese. He has successfully used the approach in a preclinical study to create immunity to anthrax exposure. (Source: Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today)

Goodbye Needle, Hello Smoothie: New Generation Oral Vaccine Uses Dairy Probiotics To Protect Against Disease

ScienceDaily Headlines — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:28:12 +0100

Instead of a shot, someday getting vaccinated against disease may be as pleasant as drinking a yogurt smoothie. A researcher has developed a new oral vaccine using probiotics, the healthy bacteria in dairy products. He has successfully used the vaccine to create immunity to anthrax. He also is developing a breast cancer vaccine using probiotics and vaccines for various infectious diseases. Delivering the vaccine to the gut produces the most robust immune response. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Efficacy of recombinant anthrax vaccine against Bacillus anthracis aerosol spore challenge: Preclinical evaluation in rabbits and Rhesus monkeys.

Biotechnology Journal — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This report describes the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant protective antigen (rPA) in New Zealand White rabbits and Rhesus Macaques against an aerosol challenge with Bacillus anthracis spores (IVRI strain, tox+cap+). A dose-ranging study was performed in which it became evident that the level of anti-PA IgG and toxin-neutralizing antibody titer was directly proportional to the dose of rPA administered. However, the onset time of primary and secondary immune response was not dependent on the dosage. Revaccination of primed animals with the same threshold dose yielded a robust and rapid secondary response. Quantitative differences in peak titers were obtained for both the animal models, in addition to qualitative differences in the immune kine...

Passport Health of Massachusetts: Passport Health of Massachusetts, Sole Non-Military Source for Anthrax Inoculations, Warns International Travelers, "No Place Is Completely Safe From Anthrax Attacks"

Market Wire - Pharmaceuticals and Biotech — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:58:00 +0100

WOBURN, MA (MARKET WIRE) Passport Health of Massachusetts (http://www.passporthealthma.com), specialists in vaccinations against dread diseases faced by international travelers, is the sole source private provider of the Anthrax vaccine in the United States. (Source: Market Wire - Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

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Goodbye needle, hello smoothie

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

(Northwestern University) Instead of a shot, someday getting vaccinated against disease may be as pleasant as drinking a yogurt smoothie. A researcher from Northwestern University has developed a new oral vaccine using probiotics, the healthy bacteria in dairy products. He has successfully used the vaccine to create immunity to anthrax. He also is developing a breast cancer vaccine using probiotics and vaccines for various infectious diseases. Delivering the vaccine to the gut produces the most robust immune response. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

[Immunology] Dendritic cell targeting of Bacillus anthracis protective antigen expressed by Lactobacillus acidophilus protects mice from lethal challenge

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Efficient vaccines potentiate antibody avidity and increase T cell longevity, which confer protection against microbial lethal challenge. A vaccine strategy... (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Goodbye Needle, Hello Smoothie

Diabetes News from dLife.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

March 17, 2009 () - Instead of a dreaded injection with a needle, someday getting vaccinated against disease may be as pleasant as drinking a yogurt smoothie. A researcher from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has developed a new oral vaccine using probiotics, the healthy bacteria that are found in dairy products like yogurt and cheese. He has successfully used the approach in a preclinical study to create immunity to anthrax exposure. He also is using the method to develop a breast cancer vaccine and vaccines for various infectious diseases. This new generation vaccine has big benefits beyond eliminating the "Ouch!" factor. Delivering the vaccine to the gut -- rather than injecting it into a muscle -- harnesses the full power of the body's primary immune force,...

PharmAthene Anthrax Protection Data Presented at ASM Biodefense Disease Meeting

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:50:11 +0100

PhaRmAthene Presents Data for SparVax™ and Valortim®, A NOVEL VACCINE AND ANTI-TOXIN FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ANTHRAX INFECTION aT thE 7th ANNUAL ASM BIODEFENSE Meeting ANNAPOLIS, MD – February 24, 2009 – PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

PharmAthene Presents Data for SparVax and Valortim, a Novel Vaccine and Anti-Toxin for the Prevention and Treatment of Anthrax Infection at the 7th Annual ASM Biodefense Meeting

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:05:08 +0100

ANNAPOLIS, Md., February 24, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. , a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that results from a Phase II study of SparVax(TM) and... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

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'Good' Bacteria Can Be Effective Vehicle For Oral Vaccine Against Anthrax

ScienceDaily Headlines — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:43:21 +0100

Researchers have discovered that the good bacteria found in dairy products and linked to positive health benefits in the human body might also be an effective vehicle for an oral vaccine that can provide immunity to anthrax exposure. The approach could possibly be used as an EZ Pass to deliver any number of specific vaccines that could block other types of viruses and pathogens. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Study Raises Hopes of Anthrax Vaccine Pill

Medscape Nurses Headlines — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:55:46 +0100

Bacteria commonly found in dairy products are an effective vehicle for oral delivery of an anthrax vaccine to mice, suggesting a pill could replace injections for humans, researchers said on Monday. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Nurses Headlines)

Potential Oral Vaccine Against Anthrax

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0100

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that the good bacteria found in dairy products and linked to positive health benefits in the human body might also be an effective vehicle for an oral vaccine that can provide immunity to anthrax exposure. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Study raises hopes of Anthrax vaccine pill

Reuters: Health — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:18:59 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - An oral vaccine packed into bacteria found in dairy products like milk and cheese protected mice from the anthrax bacteria, suggesting a pill could replace injections for humans, researchers said on Monday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Good bacteria can be EZ Pass for oral vaccine against anthrax

EurekAlert! - Biology — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

(North Carolina State University) Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that the good bacteria found in dairy products and linked to positive health benefits in the human body might also be an effective vehicle for an oral vaccine that can provide immunity to anthrax exposure. The approach could possibly be used as an EZ Pass to deliver any number of specific vaccines that could block other types of viruses and pathogens. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

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Genetic immunization with GPI-anchored anthrax protective antigen raises combined CD1d- and MHC II-restricted antibody responses by natural killer T cell-mediated help.

Vaccine — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Midha S, Bhatnagar R Studies have demonstrated that lipid rafts ultimately regulate the endocytosis of anthrax toxin via clathrin dependent pathway. Interestingly, GPI-anchored protein rich rafts have also been shown to be transported down to the endocytic pathway to reducing late endosomes. Taking advantage of this parallelism, we tried translating the anthrax toxin natural intoxication mechanism by administering a DNA chimera that encoded protective antigen attached to a mammalian GPI-anchor sequence at its C-terminus (pGPI-PA63). We also designed a chimera that had an additional N-terminal TPA leader sequence (pTPA.GPI-PA63) with an aim to target GPI-PA63 to ER where new CD1 molecules are synthesized. Analysis of antibody titers demonstrated successful priming and potential...

Conjugation-Amenable Tetrasaccharide of the Side Chain of the Major Glycoprotein of the Bacillus anthracis Exosporium: A Large-Scale Preparation

Synthesis — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:43:26 +0100

SynthesisDOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1083338AbstractA new strategy towards the synthesis of the title tetrasaccharide is described. The novelty within the common (2+2) assembly lies in the use of a disaccharide glycosyl donor having the fully assembled anthrose as one of the constituent sugar residues. Also, the final deprotection and transformation of the spacer arm into an amine, to form a structure amenable to conjugation by different conjugation techniques, is a one-pot conversion. Compared to other synthetic approaches, the present synthesis involves fewer chemical manipulations with the assembled tetrasaccharide as well as fewer overall numbers of synthetic steps towards this important antigenic component of a potential conjugate vaccine for anthrax.[...]© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart H...

Most postal workers refuse anthrax vaccine

Health News - UPI.com — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:16:31 +0100

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- An overwhelming majority of postal workers elected not to be vaccinated when anthrax was sent through the U.S. Postal Service in 2001, researchers said. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Revisiting The Anthrax Attacks Of 2001

ScienceDaily Headlines — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:00:00 +0100

When anthrax was sent through the US Postal Service in 2001, an overwhelming majority of postal workers elected not to be inoculated with the available vaccine because of confusion and distrust, according to a new study. Although the FBI officially closed the case on the attacks this year, lingering suspicion and uncertainty remain, say study authors, which could influence the public's reactions to future emergencies. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Lessons Learned: Revisiting The Anthrax Attacks

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100

When anthrax was sent through the U.S. Postal Service in 2001, an overwhelming majority of postal workers elected not to be inoculated with the available vaccine because of confusion and distrust, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Although the FBI officially closed the case on the attacks this year, lingering suspicion and uncertainty remain, say study authors, which could influence the public's reactions to future emergencies. (Source: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today)

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Revisiting the anthrax attacks

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences) When anthrax was sent through the US Postal Service in 2001, an overwhelming majority of postal workers elected not to be inoculated with the available vaccine because of confusion and distrust, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Although the FBI officially closed the case on the attacks this year, lingering suspicion and uncertainty remain, say study authors, which could influence the public's reactions to future emergencies. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Emergent BioSolutions ends pursuit of Protein Sciences

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:25:58 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc., maker of the only anthrax vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has given up trying to acquire the maker of a flu vaccine candidate. (EBS) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Emergent BioSolutions ends pursuit of Protein Sciences

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:11:35 +0100

Anthrax protective antigen administered by DNA vaccination to distinct subcellular locations potentiates humoral and cellular immune responses.

European Journal of Immunology — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Midha S, Bhatnagar R Based on the hypothesis that immune outcome can be influenced by the form of antigen administered and its ability to access various antigen-processing pathways, we targeted the 63 kDa fragment of protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis to various subcellular locations by DNA chimeras bearing a set of signal sequences. These targeting signals, namely, lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1), tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) and ubiquitin, encoded various forms of PA viz. lysosomal, secreted and cytosolic, respectively. Examination of IgG subclass distribution arising as a result of DNA vaccination indicated a higher IgG1:IgG2a ratio whenever the groups were immunized with chimeras bearing TPA, LAMP1 signals alone or when combined together. Im...

Detection of Anthrax Toxin by an Ultrasensitive Immunoassay Using Europium Nanoparticles.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Tang S, Moayeri M, Chen Z, Harma H, Zhao J, Hu H, Purcell RH, Leppla SH, Hewlett IK We developed a europium nanoparticle-based immunoassay (ENIA) for sensitive detection of anthrax protective antigen (PA). ENIA exhibited a linear dose-dependent pattern within the detection range of 0.01 approximately 100 ng/ml and was approximately 100-fold more sensitive than ELISA. False positive results were not observed in normal serum samples, mouse plasma without PA, or plasma samples collected from mice injected with anthrax lethal factor (LF) or edema factor (EF) alone. For detection of plasma samples spiked with PA, the detection sensitivity for ENIA and ELISA was 100% (11/11) and 36.4% (4/11), respectively. The assay exhibits a linear, but qualitative, correlation between PA injected...

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[Cutaneous anthrax: Seven cases.]

Annales de Dermatologie et de Cenereologie — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

DISCUSSION: Anthrax is an anthropozoonosis that has now become rare in the developed countries. The disease is contracted by humans through touching either animals killed by anthrax or the products thereof. The cases we report were subsequent to collective contamination of several members of a single family, probably due to contact with goats carrying the disease. If left untreated, cutaneous anthrax may progress in 5 to 20% of cases to septicaemia with potentially lethal central nervous system involvement. The only means of eradicating anthrax in animals, and thus in humans, is through animal vaccination. PMID: 19171223 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annales de Dermatologie et de Cenereologie)

The Anthrax Vaccine and Research: Reactions from Postal Workers and Public Health Professionals

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:42:53 +0100

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism Dec 2008, Vol. 6, No. 4: 321-334. The authors discuss the reactions of postal workers to the anthrax vaccine following the 2001 anthrax attacks. They examine the challenges faced by public health and government officials in communicating about an experimental vaccine in the face of confusing events and uncertain science.During the 2001 anthrax attacks, public health agencies faced operational and communication decisions about the use of antibiotic prophylaxis and the anthrax vaccine with affected groups, including postal workers. This communication occurred within an ... (Source: Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science)

Approval Information

What's New at CBER — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:41:00 +0100

Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (Biothrax) Revised Package Insert - Update (Source: What's New at CBER)

Government Issues Declaration Prohibiting Anthrax Vaccine Litigation

LexisNexis® Mealey's™ Thimerosal & Vaccines Legal News — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:19:23 +0100

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The federal government has issued a declaration that could shield government, pharmaceutical industry and business officials from liability for adverse reactions to the anthrax vaccine. Full story on lexis.com (Source: LexisNexis® Mealey's™ Thimerosal & Vaccines Legal News)

CORRECTION: Incorrect Table Column Headings and Inaccurate Information in Text in: Effects of a Reduced Dose Schedule and Intramuscular Administration of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed on Immunogenicity and Safety at 7 Months

JAMA — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: JAMA)

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Adverse events after anthrax vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990-2007.

Vaccine — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Niu MT, Ball R, Woo EJ, Burwen DR, Knippen M, Braun MM, During the period March 1, 1998 to January 14, 2007, approximately 6 million doses of Anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) vaccine were administered. As of January 16, 2007, 4753 reports of adverse events following receipt of AVA vaccination had been submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Taken together, reports to VAERS did not definitively link any serious unexpected risk to this vaccine, and review of death and serious reports did not show a distinctive pattern indicative of a causal relationship to AVA vaccination. Continued monitoring of VAERS and analysis of potential associations between AVA vaccination and rare, serious events is warranted. PMID: 18992783 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher...

Enhancement of the immune responses of mice to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen by CIA07 combined with alum.

Archives of Pharmacal Research — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In this study, we investigated the adjuvant activity of CIA07 to anthrax protective antigen (PA). A/J mice were immunized intraperitoneally once, or twice with a 4-week interval, with recombinant PA alone or combined with alum, CpG1826, or CIA07 as adjuvant, and serum anti-PA IgG antibody responses were measured 4 weeks after each immunization. All three adjuvants significantly enhanced anti-PA IgG antibody titer 4 weeks after the priming and boosting immunizations, and alum gave the highest titer. In order to evaluate the adjuvant activity of CIA07 in the presence of alum, Balb/c mice were immunized 3 times at 1-week intervals with PA in combination with alum, CIA07 or alum plus CIA07, and the immune responses were assessed 2 weeks after the third immunization. The serum anti-PA IgG antib...

UCLA creates safer, more effective TB vaccine for people with HIV

UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0100

A new tuberculosis vaccine engineered by UCLA scientists specifically for HIV-positive people has been shown to be safer and more potent than the current TB vaccine in preclinical studies. A more effective TB vaccine may help curtail the global spread of the disease, especially in HIV-positive people, for whom tuberculosis is the leading cause of death worldwide. "The AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics are now so intertwined in many parts of the world that we can't win the fight against one of these diseases without also taking on the other," said principal investigator Dr. Marcus Horwitz, a professor of medicine and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. T...

IM dosing of anthrax vaccine muscles in on SC territory

Inpharma — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:01:58 +0100

(Source: Inpharma)

Effect of CpG oligonucleotides on vaccine-induced B cell memory.

Journal of Immunology — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:54:36 +0100

Authors: Tross D, Klinman DM Adding synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG motifs to Anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA, the licensed human vaccine) increases the speed and magnitude of the resultant Ab response. Ab titers persist in the protective range for >1 year, significantly longer than in animals vaccinated with AVA alone. Unexpectedly, a majority of mice immunized with CpG-adjuvanted AVA maintained resistance to anthrax infection even after their Ab titers had declined into the subprotective range. The survival of these animals was mediated by the de novo production of protective Abs by high affinity memory B cells re-stimulated immediately after challenge. Thus, a previously unrecognized benefit of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides adjuvants is their ability to expa...

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IM dosing of anthrax vaccine muscles in on SC territory.

Inpharma Weekly — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:16:53 +0100

Page: 12 (Source: Inpharma Weekly)

Changing Dosing, Administration Of Anthrax Vaccine Reduces Side Effects

Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News From Medical News Today — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Reducing the number of doses of an anthrax vaccine and changing its administration to intramuscular injection resulted in comparable measures of effectiveness but with fewer adverse events, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA. "Simpler and better tolerated regimens for vaccination with anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) are needed," the authors write. (Source: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News From Medical News Today)

Changing Dosing, Administration Of Anthrax Vaccine Reduces Side Effects

ScienceDaily Headlines — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:09:59 +0100

Emergent Wins New Contract for Anthrax Vaccine

washingtonpost.com - Health — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

A Rockville biotech will remain the government's sole anthrax vaccine supplier until new doses, based on more modern technologies, can be procured. (Source: washingtonpost.com - Health)

Three-Dose IM Anthrax Vaccination Provides Effective Immune Priming

Medscape PublicHealth Headlines — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:26:29 +0100

Anthrax vaccine administered in three doses by intramuscular (IM) injection provides noninferior immunological priming and reduces injection site reactions when compared with the licensed schedule of four doses administered subcutaneously (SC), an interim analysis of a phase IV clinical trial indicates. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape PublicHealth Headlines)

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Emergent Biosolutions wins $404M anthrax vaccine award

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:37:33 +0100

Emergent Biosolutions Inc. has won a contract to provide more anthrax vaccine to the U.S. government worth as much as $404 million. (EBS) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

Fewer Side Effects In New Anthrax Vaccine Regimen

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0100

According to new research published in the October 1 issue of JAMA, changing administration and dosing of an anthrax vaccine gives favorable results and reduces side effects. Specifically, researchers found that fewer doses of intramuscularly injected of an anthrax vaccine results in similar levels of effectiveness and fewer adverse events than the current vaccination regimen. (Source: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today)

Fewer doses of anthrax vaccine protect just as well

Reuters: Health — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:15:18 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Giving fewer doses of the anthrax vaccine protects a person just as well from the bacteria that causes the disease, which could extend limited supplies of the shots, researchers said on Tuesday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

IM Anthrax Vaccine Effective with Reduced Adverse Effects

MedPage Today Infectious Disease — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0100

ATLANTA (MedPage Today) -- Changing the route of anthrax vaccine administration doesn't affect the immunological response, researchers here said. (Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease)

Fewer Doses, Intramuscular Injection Cut Anthrax Shot Side Effects

MedlinePlus Health News — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0100

3 vaccinations just as effective as current 6 in forming antibodies, study finds. Source: HealthDay (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

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Fewer doses of anthrax vaccine comparable to current dosing regimen

Baylor College of Medicine News — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Three injections of anthrax vaccine given into the muscle stimulate comparable antibody responses and cause fewer adverse reactions than four doses given under the skin, said a consortium of researchers that included those from Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the current Journal of the American Medical Association. "We expect that reducing the number of adverse reactions will lead to a higher level of acceptability of the vaccine," said Dr. Wendy Keitel , professor of molecular virology and microbiology at BCM and director of the Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit at BCM. "And reducing the number of times the vaccine is given will reduce the cost and complexity of delivering the entire program." Eliminating second dose Anthrax vaccine is primarily given to ...

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION: Effects of a Reduced Dose Schedule and Intramuscular Administration of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed on Immunogenicity and Safety at 7 Months: A Randomized Trial

JAMA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The 4-IM and 3-IM regimens of AVA provided noninferior immunological priming by month 7 when compared with the 4-SQ licensed regimen. Intramuscular administration significantly reduced the occurrence of injection site AEs. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00119067 (Source: JAMA)

Who Will Develop The Best Anthrax Vaccine?

Huliq Health News — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:54:34 +0100

Two rival biotech companies have been simultaneously awarded governmental contract to develop anthrax vaccine, which needs to be more effective and safe than the existing one. The two companies are Emergent and PharmAthene (Source: Huliq Health News)

Biotechs Get Rival Deals To Build Anthrax Vaccine

washingtonpost.com - Health — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

The race to develop and supply the government with anthrax-fighting drugs just got more heated. (Source: washingtonpost.com - Health)

Emergent BioSolutions gets $29.7M to fight anthrax

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:29:31 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has won a $29.7 million, three-year contract to continue to develop its next-generation anthrax vaccine candidate. (EBS) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

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Immunological dynamics in response to two anthrax vaccines in mice.

Science in China. Series C, Life Sciences — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:04:17 +0100

Authors: Lü J, He R, Dong M, Zhang L, Wang X In order to understand the variation of humoral and cellular immune responses to A16R live spore and AVA vaccine and to identify efficient immunological parameters for the early evaluation of post immunization in mice, we dynamically monitored the antibody production and cellular responses after the vaccination of Balb/C mice with the anthrax vaccines. The results show that both anti-AVA and anti-Spore antibodies were detectable in the A16R live spore vaccinated group while high titers of anti-AVA antibodies but not anti-Spore antibodies existed in the AVA-immunized group. IgG1 and IgG2 were the major subtypes of IgG in both of the two groups. However, the IgG2a level was significantly higher in the A16R group than in the AVA group. At ...

Role of the N-terminal Amino Acid of Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor in Lethal Toxin Cytotoxicity and Its Effect on the Lethal Toxin Neutralization Assay.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Verma A, Wagner L, Stibitz S, Nguyen N, Guerengomba F, Burns DL The cytotoxic activity of lethal factor (LF), a critical reagent used in the cell-based lethal toxin neutralization assay to assess anthrax vaccines, was shown to depend on the identity of its N-terminal amino acid which plays a role in the targeting of LF to the proteasome for degradation. These results demonstrate that care must be taken to ensure that LF preparations used in standardized cell-based assays are not altered at their N-terminal ends. PMID: 18815235 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical and Vaccine Immunology)

Cytoplasmic delivery of antigens, by Bacillus subtilis enhances Th1 responses.

Vaccine — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Huang JM, La Ragione RM, Cooley WA, Todryk S, Cutting SM Endospores of the Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, have been used successfully for delivery of antigens where the immunogen is expressed on the spore surface. In this work the spore has been engineered to deliver antigens to the cytoplasm of macrophages by expressing listeriolysin O (LLO) or a derivative, LLO(L461T), that is stable at neutral pH, from the B. subtilis vegetative cell. Following phagocytosis spores were shown to germinate in the phagosome enabling secretion of LLO/LLO(L461T) and entry of the bacterium into the cytosol. We have shown that in the cytosol B. subtilis proliferates before eventually being destroyed. Immunisation of mice with spores that co-expressed LLO with Protective Antigen (PA) o...

Towards a human oral vaccine for anthrax: The utility of a Salmonella Typhi Ty21a-based prime-boost immunization strategy.

Vaccine — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Baillie LW, Rodriguez AL, Moore S, Atkins HS, Feng C, Nataro JP, Pasetti MF We previously demonstrated the ability of an orally administered attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain expressing the protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis to confer protection against lethal anthrax aerosol spore challenge [Stokes MG, Titball RW, Neeson BN, et al. Oral administration of a Salmonella enterica-based vaccine expressing Bacillus anthracis protective antigen confers protection against aerosolized B. anthracis. Infect Immun 2007;75(April (4)):1827-34]. To extend the utility of this approach to humans we constructed variants of S. enterica serovar Typhi Ty21a, an attenuated typhoid vaccine strain licensed for human use, which expressed and exported PA via two dist...

Why Do UK Military Personnel Refuse the Anthrax Vaccination?

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:04:03 +0100

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science Sep 2008, Vol. 6, No. 3: 237-242. Based on data collected from 5,302 members of the UK Armed Forces, the authors sought to understand the reasons that some UK military personnel refused the anthrax vaccine. They found that refusal rates were correlated with perception of threat and that it is important to provide people with relevant information to aid in decision making. The purpose of this study was to understand the reasons why some UK military personnel refused the anthrax vaccination. Data were collected from 5,302 members of the UK Armed Forces who had been deployed to Iraq since 2003 and had been offered the ... (Source: Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science)

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Evaluation of body mass index, pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels and anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin G on injection site adverse events following anthrax vaccination in women

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In 2002, CDC initiated the Anthrax Vaccination Program (AVP) to provide voluntary pre-exposure anthrax vaccination for individuals at high risk for exposure to Bacillus anthracis spores. The AVP offered an opportunity to investigate hypothesized reasons for a reported gender difference in injection site adverse events (AEs) following anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA).To evaluate in women the impact of body mass index (BMI), pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels, and pre-vaccination anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin G concentrations (anti-PA IgG) on the occurrence of AEs following subcutaneous AVA vaccination.Participants' BMI was determined at enrollment. Also, pre-vaccination blood samples were assayed for serum progesterone and anti-PA IgG. Post-vaccination solicited AEs we...

Chimeric hepatitis B virus core particles carrying an epitope of anthrax protective antigen induce protective immunity against Bacillus anthracis.

Vaccine — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

This study suggests chimeric HBc particles carrying a neutralizing epitope of PA can induce protective immunity against Bacillus anthracis. PMID: 18786589 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Vaccine)

An alternative approach to combination vaccines: intradermal administration of isolated components for control of anthrax, botulism, plague and staphylococcal toxic shock

BioMed Central — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that the physical separation of vaccines both in the syringe and at the site of administration did not adversely affect the biological activity of each component. The vaccination method we describe may be scalable to include a greater number of antigens, while avoiding the physical and chemical incompatibilities encountered by combining multiple vaccines together in one product. (Source: BioMed Central)

An alternative approach to combination vaccines: intradermal administration of isolated components for control of anthrax, botulism, plague and staphylococcal toxic shock

Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the physical separation of vaccines both in the syringe and at the site of administration did not adversely affect the biological activity of each component.The vaccination method we describe may be scalable to include a greater number of antigens, while avoiding the physical and chemical incompatibilities encountered by combining multiple vaccines together in one product. (Source: Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines)

Protective activity and immunogenicity of two recombinant anthrax vaccines for veterinary use.

Vaccine — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In this study, the efficacy of two experimental vaccines against Bacillus anthracis toxinaemia was evaluated in the rabbit model. A recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) mutant and a trivalent vaccine (TV) composed by the rPA, a inactive mutant of Lethal Factor (mLF-Y728A; E735A) and a inactive mutant of Edema Factor (mEF-K346R), both emulsified with mineral oils, were evaluated for their immunogenicity and protective activity in New Zealand white rabbits. Rabbits vaccinated subcutaneously with rPA and TV rapidly produced high level of anti-PA, anti-LF and anti-EF antibodies, which were still present 6 months later. In the efficacy test, these vaccines protected 100% of rabbits challenged with B. anthracis virulent strain 0843 one week after the vaccination. Moreover, all animals vaccinated...

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Anthrax attacks gave rise to biodefense industry

Physics Today News Picks — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

NPR: The 2001 anthrax attacks led to a huge, expensive clean-up effort and sparked a brand new industry called "biodefense." NPR's David Kestenbaum and Andrea Seabrook talk about how monitoring, vaccination, and other costly biosecurity programs have borne limited results. (Source: Physics Today News Picks)

Non-canonical effects of anthrax toxins on hem atop oiesis: implications for vaccine development.

J Cell Mol Med — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Liu K, Wong EW, Schutzer SE, Connelf ND, Upadhyay A, Bryan M, Rameshwar P Anthrax receptor (ATR) shares similarities with molecules relevant to hematopoiesis. This suggests that anthrax proteins might bind to these mimicking molecules and exert nonspecific hematopoietic effects. The hematopoietic system is the site of immune cell development in the adult. As such, ATR ligand, protective antigen (PA) and the other anthrax proteins, lethal factor (LF), edema factor (EF), could be significant to hematopoietic responses against Bacillus anthracis infection. Since hematopoiesis is the process of immune cell development, effects by anthrax proteins could b e relevant to vaccine development. Here, we report on effects of anthrax proteins and toxins on early and late hematopoiesis. Fl...

A single immunization with a dry powder anthrax vaccine protects rabbits against lethal aerosol challenge.

Vaccine — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Klas SD, Petrie CR, Warwood SJ, Williams MS, Olds CL, Stenz JP, Cheff AM, Hinchcliffe M, Richardson C, Wimer S Here we confirm that intranasal (IN) dry powder anthrax vaccine formulations are able to protect rabbits against aerosol challenge 9 weeks after a single immunization. The optimum dose of rPA in our dry powder anthrax vaccine formulation in rabbits was experimentally determined to be 150mug and therefore was chosen as the target dose for all subsequent experiments. Rabbits received a single dose of either 150mug rPA, 150mug rPA+150mug of a conjugated 10-mer peptide representing the Bacillus anthracis capsule (conj), or 150mug of conj alone. All dry powder formulations contained MPL and chitosan (ChiSys((R))). Significant anti-rPA titers and anthrax lethal toxin neutra...

Birth Defects among Infants Born to Women Who Received Anthrax Vaccine in Pregnancy

American Journal of Epidemiology — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In response to bioterrorism threats, anthrax vaccine has been used by the US military and considered for civilian use. Concerns exist about the potential for adverse reproductive health effects among vaccine recipients. This retrospective cohort evaluated birth defects, in relation to maternal anthrax vaccination, among all infants born to US military service women between 1998 and 2004. Department of Defense databases defined maternal vaccination and infant diagnoses; multivariable regression models described potential associations between anthrax vaccination and birth defects in liveborn infants. Among 115,169 infants born to military women during this period, 37,140 were born to women ever vaccinated against anthrax, and 3,465 were born to women vaccinated in the first trimester of preg...

Questions remain over Anthrax case

Physics Today News Picks — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Various: The FBI has released details about its case against accused researcher Bruce Ivins, who killed himself last week after being told he would be prosecuted as the prime suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks. A number of websites have provided some analysis of the FBI's case. The Smoking Gun has collated the highlights to the prosecution's case. Meryl Nass, a noted anthrax researcher, writes on her blog Anthrax Vaccine that “What came out today was another pastiche of innuendo and circumstantial evidence, with an awful lot of holes.” Nass raises the following main questions: 1. Ivins had just been immunized against anthrax. He was required to have yearly immunizations, and some anthrax scientists have chosen to be vaccinated every six months for safety, since the vaccine’s efficac...

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Emergent BioSolutions applies for anthrax vaccine award

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:03:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has submitted a proposal in response to a request issued by the Department of Health and Human Services for a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine the company recently bought. (EBS) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Emergent BioSolutions applies for anthrax vaccine award

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:03:00 +0100

Anthrax Case Renews Questions on Bioterror

NYT > Health — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:34:45 +0100

Some people say a boom in biodefense research has actually increased access to dangerous germs. (Source: NYT > Health)

Anthrax Case Renews Questions on Bioterror Effort

NYT > Health — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:32:25 +0100

Some people say a boom in biodefense research has actually increased access to dangerous germs. (Source: NYT > Health)

Scientists raise queries over FBI Anthrax probe

Physics Today News Picks — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Washington Post: Colleagues and friends of Bruce E. Ivins, the vaccine specialist who committed suicide earlier this week after the FBI indicated they were going to indict him for the 2001 anthrax attacks remained convinced that Ivins was innocent: They contended that he had neither the motive nor the means to create the fine, lethal powder that was sent by mail to news outlets and congressional offices in the late summer and fall of 2001. Mindful of previous FBI mistakes in fingering others in the case, many are deeply skeptical that the bureau has gotten it right this time. Update: 8/4/2008. The New York Times Scott Shane writes that most of the evidence against Ivins is circumstantial, and that the FBI was several weeks away from indicting the scientist. While genetic analysis had linke...

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Development And Procurement Of A Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +0100

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it has submitted a proposal in response to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine (rPA). Emergent's rPA vaccine candidate is a reformulated and more stable form of the rPA 102 vaccine originally developed at the U.S. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Anthrax scientist Bruce Ivins stood to benefit from a panic

Los Angeles Times - Science — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0100

The suspect in deadly mailings, who killed himself this week as the FBI closed in, could have collected patent royalties on an anthrax vaccine. Bruce E. Ivins, the government biodefense scientist linked to the deadly anthrax mailings of 2001, stood to gain financially from massive federal spending in the fear-filled aftermath of those killings, the Los Angeles Times has learned. (Source: Los Angeles Times - Science)

Anthrax Suspect Known for Quiet Research, Odd Behavior

washingtonpost.com - Health — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:20:59 +0100

Nearly two years after anthrax-spore mailings killed five people and sickened 17 others, Army scientist Bruce E. Ivins accepted the Defense Department's highest honor for civilian performance for helping to resurrect a controversial vaccine that could protect against the deadly bacteria. (Source: washingtonpost.com - Health)

Emergent BioSolutions applies for anthrax vaccine award

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:40:23 +0100

Scientist linked to 2001 anthrax attacks commits suicide

Physics Today News Picks — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Various: Microbiologist Bruce E. Ivins, 62, died Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Maryland after he was believed to have taken a massive dose of prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine after the FBI told him that he was going to be indicted as part of the investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors were seeking the death penalty as part of the indictment. Ivins worked for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, at Fort Detrick in Maryland. Ivin's had expertise in anthrax and was called upon by the FBI to analyze the anthrax spores that was sent through the mail to media organizations and politicians shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The anthrax letters killed five people and sickened 17. ...

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Recombinant Bacillus anthracis spore proteins enhance protection of mice primed with suboptimal amounts of protective antigen.

Vaccine — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Cybulski RJ, Sanz P, McDaniel D, Darnell S, Bull RL, O'Brien AD Inactivated Bacillus anthracis spores given with protective antigen (PA) contribute to immunity against anthrax in several animal models. Antiserum raised against whole irradiated B. anthracis spores has been shown to have anti-germination and opsonic activities in vitro. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that surface-exposed spore proteins might serve as supplemental components of a PA-based anthrax vaccine. The protective anti-spore serum was tested for reactivity with recombinant forms of 30 proteins known, or believed to be, present within the B. anthracis exosporium. Eleven of those proteins were reactive with this antiserum, and, subsequently a subset of this group was used to generate rabbit poly...

Alpha Diagnostic International

Drug Development Technology — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Alpha Diagnostic provides a comprehensive range of services related to protein or gene sequence analyses for the purpose of selecting antigenic peptides, synthesis of custom peptides, antibodies to peptides and proteins. PHOSPHOPEPTIDE, PEPTIDE AND PROTEIN ANTIBODIES ADI specializes in producing antibodies to phosphopeptides and acetylated peptides or proteins. ELISA testing of antibodies and affinity purification of antibodies is also available. ADI has been one of the most cited commercial sources for these services for the last 15 years. PRIMARY ANTIBODIES ADI has also produced thousands of primary antibodies for tumour markers, drug metabolizing enzymes, membrane receptors, growth factors, and drug transporter proteins. ELISA KITS FOR SERUM PROTEINS ADI has hundreds of ELISA kits...

Science Scope

Science: Current Issue — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:38:20 +0100

Peruse These Ties | Austrian Astronomers Score | Settlement in Anthrax Case | Rights for Apes? ¡Si! | Alliance Aims for Cancer Vaccine (Source: Science: Current Issue)

Anthrax vaccine/smallpox vaccine/other vaccines: Autoimmune diabetes mellitus (first report with anthrax vaccine)?: 6 case reports.

Reactions Weekly — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:09:42 +0100

Page: 6 (Source: Reactions Weekly)

Toxicity of anthrax toxin is influenced by receptor expression.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Taft SC, Weiss AA Anthrax toxin protective antigen (PA) binds to its cellular receptor, and seven subunits self-associate to form a heptameric ring which mediates cytoplasmic entry of lethal factor (LF) or edema factor (EF). The influence of receptor type on susceptibility to anthrax toxin components was examined using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing the human forms of two PA receptors, TEM8 or CMG2. Unexpectedly, PA alone, previously believed to only mediate entry of lethal factor or edema factor, was found to be toxic to CHO-TEM8 cells; cells treated with PA alone displayed reduced cell growth and decreased metabolic activity. PA-treated cells swelled and became permeable to membrane-excluded dye, suggesting that PA formed cell surface pores on CHO-TEM8 cells. W...

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Anthrax vaccine/smallpox vaccine/other vaccines: Autoimmune diabetes mellitus (first report with anthrax vaccine)?: 6 case reports

Reactions — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:54:24 +0100

(Source: Reactions)

[Medical_Sciences] Saccharides cross-reactive with Bacillus anthracis spore glycoprotein as an anthrax vaccine component

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming bacterium that causes anthrax in humans and in other mammals. The glycoprotein BclA (Bacillus collagen-like... (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Application of carbohydrate microarray technology for the detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei, Bacillus anthracis and Francisella tularensis antibodies.

Carbohydrate Research — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Parthasarathy N, Saksena R, Kováč P, Deshazer D, Peacock SJ, Wuthiekanun V, Heine HS, Friedlander AM, Cote CK, Welkos SL, Adamovicz JJ, Bavari S, Waag DM We developed a microarray platform by immobilizing bacterial 'signature' carbohydrates onto epoxide modified glass slides. The carbohydrate microarray platform was probed with sera from non-melioidosis and melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei) individuals. The platform was also probed with sera from rabbits vaccinated with Bacillus anthracis spores and Francisella tularensis bacteria. By employing this microarray platform, we were able to detect and differentiate B. pseudomallei, B. anthracis and F. tularensis antibodies in infected patients, and infected or vaccinated animals. These antibodies were absent in the...

In this issue.

European Journal of Immunology — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: COVER PICTURES: The cover shows thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) expression in the nasal epithelium in an OVA-based murine model of allergic rhinitis. This image was taken from the article by Miyata pp. 1487-1492, et al. (pp. 1487-1492), in which the authors demonstrate that mast cells are critical regulators of allergic rhinitis development through regulation of TSLP expression, possibly mediated via FcepsilonRI. "ICE-ING" ANTHRAX: pp. 1574-1584When the Godfather wished to eliminate an enemy in the movie of the same name, he had that person "iced". Similarly, when Bacillus anthracis (BA) carries out its nefarious plans during anthrax infections, it too, "ICEs" its target: anthrax lethal toxin (LT) activates caspase-1 (formerly interleukin-1 converting enzyme, ICE) leading...

9th Circuit: Washington Court Has No Jurisdiction Over Anthrax Vaccine Lawsuit

LexisNexis® Mealey's™ Thimerosal & Vaccines Legal News — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:52:02 +0100

SEATTLE - The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed for lack of general jurisdiction dismissal of an anthrax vaccine personal injury case, finding that the transfer of BioPort Corp.'s vaccine from bulk to market containers in the state did not create contacts sufficient for jurisdiction in the Western District of Washington (Dale Emery, Appellant, v. BioPort Corporation, Appellee, No. 06-36038, 9th Cir.; 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 9021; See November 2006, Page 4). Full story on lexis.com (Source: LexisNexis® Mealey's™ Thimerosal & Vaccines Legal News)

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Novel Microparticle Offers Immunological Breakthrough Against a Range of Infectious Diseases and Potentially Some Cancers

Drugs.com - Clinical Trials — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:40:54 +0100

AUCKLAND, New Zealand--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2008 - When Virionyx, a New Zealand biotechnology company, tested a new anthrax vaccine, company scientists were elated when it worked, but then dumbfounded when one of the negative control agents... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

The Immunogenicity of Bacillus Anthracis Protective Antigen Domains and the Efficacy of Elicited Antibody Responses Depend on host Genetic Background.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abboud N, Casadevall A Neutralizing antibodies to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (PA), a component of anthrax toxin, mediate protection against anthrax. PA is antigenically complex and can elicit protective and non-protective antibodies. Furthermore, vaccinated individuals demonstrate considerable variability in antibody responses to PA. To explore the relationship between PA structure and antigenicity, we produced E.coli expressing full-length PA (PA1-4), domains 2-4 (PA2-4), domain 1, (PA1), and domain 4 (PA4) and evaluated their immunogenicity and protective efficacy in four mouse strains (A/J, Balb/c, C57BL/6, and Swiss Webster). Immunization with PA1-4 resulted in significantly higher lethal toxin-neutralizing antibody titers than immunization with any recombinant ...

U.S. Military Service Members Perceptions of the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program

Military Medicine — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:40:20 +0100

(Source: Military Medicine)

DOR BioPharma, Inc.: DOR BioPharma Acquires Option for Third-Generation Anthrax Vaccine From Harvard University

Market Wire - Pharmaceuticals and Biotech — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:00:00 +0100

EWING, NJ (MARKET WIRE) DOR BioPharma, Inc. (OTCBB: DORB) ("DOR" or the "Company"), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has entered into a one-year exclusive option with the President and Fellows of Harvard College to license analogues of anthrax toxin for prospective use in vaccines against anthrax, a potentially fatal disease caused by the spore-forming, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The option, which was obtained through negotiation with Harvard University's Office of Technology Development, encompasses an issued U.S. patent that covers engineered variants of protective (Source: Market Wire - Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)