Biodefense Headlines – 21 September 2021

News highlights on health security threats and countermeasures curated by Global Biodefense

This week’s selections include positive news for J&J’s Ebola vaccine; proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2; the future of pandemic vaccine planning; and how non-human primate models have held up to real-world human vaccine data.

POLICY + INITIATIVES

Embedding Global Access in Development of Future Pandemic Vaccines

Covid-19 vaccines were developed with at least $5.6bn in upfront public investments and a further $45bn in public advance purchase commitments (reducing risk to manufacturers), building on over $17bn in public funding for basic research. But governments did not leverage this funding to ensure global access. Avoiding repetition of this catastrophe with the next generation of Covid-19 vaccines—and in future pandemics—will require new international agreements and financing. The BMJ

The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2

Here virologists review what can be deduced about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 from comparative analysis of genomic data and offer a perspective on the notable features of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and discuss scenarios by which they could have arisen. The analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus. Nature Medicine

Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats: The Biological Threat Reduction Program

The first case of COVID-19 identified outside of China occurred on January 13, 2020, in Thailand. This early detection can in large part be credited to a little-known yet essential U.S. Department of Defense program, the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP), which equipped partners in Thailand with disease surveillance technologies and trained experts on their use.  Council on Strategic Risks

Beyond Biological Defense: Maintaining the U.S. Biotechnology Advantage

The Department of Defense has historically viewed biotechnology narrowly in relation to military medicine and biodefense. As a result, the vital role of biotechnology in military readiness and national security remains poorly understood. Biowarfare and bioterrorism are real risks, but approaching the nation’s biotechnology security needs only in these terms will leave the country ever more vulnerable. War on the Rocks

The Plan to Stop Every Respiratory Virus at Once

Hospitals and laboratories already have HVAC systems designed to minimize the spread of pathogens. No one I spoke with thought an average school or office building has to be as tightly controlled as a biocontainment facility, but if not, then we need a new and different set of minimum standards. The challenge ahead is cost. Piping more outdoor air into a building or adding air filters both require more energy and money to run the HVAC system. The Atlantic

No Nominee for Top Food Safety Job, But Deputy Digs Into the Issues

The top food safety job in the federal government, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, is often left vacant and in the hands of deputies. Biden has now gone more than 200 days without making this top food safety appointment (which requires Senate confirmation). Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin has proven effective covering those duties, providing leadership for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has regulatory oversight for ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe and accurately labeled. Food Safety News

MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES

J&J’s Ebola Vaccine Regimen Demonstrates Immune Response

Data from two papers published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases demonstrate that the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine regimen, Zabdeno® (Ad26.ZEBOV) and Mvabea® (MVA-BN-Filo), generated robust humoral immune responses in adults and children that persisted in adults for at least two years. The data also showed that booster vaccination with Ad26.ZEBOV, administered to adults two years after the initial vaccination, induced a strong anamnestic response within seven days. CIDRAP, European Pharmaceutical Review

Beta Testing the Monkey Model

Non-human primate (NHP) virus-challenge models have proven very valuable for assessing the protective efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines during the past year. From the vaccine-testing perspective, the outcomes seen in macaques have generally been consistent with those of human phase 3 trial results and real-world experience with the approved vaccines. Nature Immunology

Comparative Effectiveness of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, J&J Vaccines in Preventing COVID-19 Hospitalizations in U.S. March–August 2021

Among U.S. adults without immunocompromising conditions, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization during March 11–August 15, 2021, was higher for the Moderna vaccine (93%) than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (88%) and the Janssen vaccine (71%). All FDA-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization. MMWR

Moderna Developing Single-Dose Booster for COVID-19, Flu

Moderna is working on a new booster vaccine, mRNA-1073, that combines the drugmaker’s COVID-19 shot with its flu vaccine in a single dose. The combination vaccine is meant to target both the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that the coronaviruses uses to enter human cells and the influenza hemagglutinin glycoprotein that plays a key role in influenza infections. FDA News

COVID Vaccine Immunity Is Waning — How Much Does That Matter?

In one of the only long-term studies to consider the three planks of the immune system simultaneously — antibodies, B cells and T cells — researchers found that vaccination spurred durable cellular immunity. Memory B cells continued to grow in numbers for at least six months, and got better at fighting the virus over time. T-cell counts remained relatively stable, dipping only slightly over the duration of the study period. But if protection from disease relies at any level on circulating neutralizing antibodies—and those molecules are clearly on the decline—then the longer out you are from natural infection or from vaccination the worse you will be. Nature

Advances in Medical Countermeasures Against Acute Radiation Exposure Based on the Animal Rule

Recent advances in MCM development have accrued due to federal and corporate funding, clarification of the critical criteria for efficacy within the Food and Drug Administration Animal Rule and the concomitant development and validation of additional animal models. These models provided for a strategic and tactical approach to determine radiation effects and MCM efficacy. There is much work to be done in developing MCM for prophylaxis against the major sequelae of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) or delayed effects of acute exposure (DEARE) from a terrorist event or major radiation accident. Journal of Radiological Protection

BIOSECURITY + BIOPREPAREDNESS

Implementation of an Elastomeric Mask Program to Eliminate Disposable N95 Mask Use and Resterilization at a Large Academic Medical Center

An effort to reduce dependence on N95 masks by initiating a phased program to acquire P100 masks. Overview of the allocation strategy based on availability of the masks, as well as an operational plan to fit test, educate, and disinfect the masks. Establishment of an elastomeric mask program is feasible and less expensive than programs focused on reusing and disinfecting disposable N95 masks. In addition, the masks can be stored for future surges. Journal of the American College of Surgeons

Biological Deterrence for the Shadow War

To respond to the threat of another pandemic or a bioweapons attack, the United States first needs to improve its woefully underfunded public health infrastructure. Then, with the specific risk of low-level attacks in mind, the government should enhance its capacity to defend against and deter biological attacks. This means giving the Department of Defense a bigger and better-funded role in public health preparedness, publicizing a credible strategy for attributing and responding to biological attacks, and devoting more resources to biotechnology research and development. War on the Rocks

Evolving Trends and Research Hotspots in Disaster Epidemiology From 1985 to 2020: Bibliometric Analysis

The field of disaster epidemiology has attracted people from all around the world, and developed countries are the main driving force, while developing countries have a limited effect. Multiple barriers, including funding, prioritization, research capacity, infrastructure, and language, contribute to these disproportionate results. Frontiers in Public Health

Strategic National Stockpile Experts Remember September 11

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a small group of federal public health staff activated its emergency plan as part of the U.S. government’s immediate response to the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Established in 1999, the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) was in its infancy when the events of 9/11 unfolded and was quietly housed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health. It was not until 2003 that the NPS would become the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), which in 2018 transitioned to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ASPR Blog

Civil–Military Collaboration to Facilitate Rapid Deployment of a Mobile Laboratory in Early Response to COVID-19

This evaluation of the rapid deployment and adaptation of B-FAL, a preexisting mobile laboratory facility, offers lessons on the advantages of developing, stockpiling, and maintaining mobile laboratory facilities that can rapidly deploy and assist primarily in an early phase of localized or large-scale outbreaks. Health Security

SELECT AGENTS + CBRNE THREATS

Guinea Declares End of Marburg Virus Outbreak

Six weeks after the first-ever case of Marburg was detected in West Africa, the outbreak has been declared over. No further cases were confirmed by health workers monitoring the 170 high-risk contacts of the first patient, who was diagnosed after succumbing to the highly infectious hemorrhagic fever. CNN

Russia Behind Litvinenko Murder, Rules European Rights Court

The European Court of Human Rights found this week that Russia was responsible for the assassination of ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died an agonising death in 2006 after being poisoned in London with a rare radioactive substance. Litvinenko, a defector who had become a vocal critic of the Kremlin, died three weeks after drinking green tea laced with polonium-210 at a plush London hotel. BBC News, Reuters

OPCW and VERIFIN Support Development of Analytical Chemistry Skills in Developing Countries

Analytical chemists from countries with developing and transition economies advanced their skills in quantitative analysis of chemicals relevant to the Chemical Weapons Convention during an online course held from 23 to 27 August. The training was conducted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (VERIFIN). OPCW

Third-Generation Smallpox Vaccine Strain-Based Recombinant Vaccines for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

Among the vaccinia viruses, MVA is currently the most commonly used vector for developing hemorrhagic fever vaccines, including dengue fever, yellow fever, Ebola viral disease, Lassa fever, Rift Valley fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. LC16m8 is a vaccine candidate for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. The current status and recent advances in the development of these hemorrhagic fever vaccines using third-generation vaccinia strains are discussed. Vaccine

SURVEILLANCE + DETECTION

Where Are the Tests? While Other Countries Are Awash in Rapid Covid Tests, the U.S. is Not.

Antigen testing allows people to learn within minutes whether they are carrying enough of the Covid-19 virus to be contagious. With this knowledge, infectious people can stay home and isolate before they infect others. Everybody else can carry on with life. In Britain, France and Germany, rapid testing is widely available and inexpensive. People can visit testing sites, like tents outside pharmacies in France or abandoned nightclubs in Germany, and get tested at no charge. Many people also keep tests in their homes and self-administer them. The U.S. is a different story entirely. New York Times

Pathogen-Sensing Mask Could Detect COVID Infection

The new research makes wearable devices with freeze-dried “cell-free” circuits built from genes, enzymes and other cell components, which can be placed on porous, flexible materials and easily stored. The prototype mask activates with a push-button that rehydrates the sensor, starting reactions that break the virus apart and amplify its DNA for detection. The full process produces a color change within 90 minutes of activation—say, when worn by a hospital patient. Scientific American

Outbreaks of SARS-Cov-2 in Naturally Infected Mink Farms

Researchers observed very efficient human-to-mink transmission, in which farmers infected a high number of minks.  A wide range of symptoms was observed, followed by high mortality spanning a period of 22–23 days, indicative of massive spread among animals and between sheds due to airborne transmission. Histopathological findings were suggestive of extensive lung vessel damage before the establishment of classical interstitial pneumonia lesions. PLOS Pathogens

A New Long-Term Sampling Approach to Viruses on Surfaces

This study evaluates a new, paper-based sticker approach for collection of reliable viral genomic data up to 14 days and after implementation of different hygiene measures. In contrast to swabbing methods, which sample viral load present on a surface at a given time, the stickers are attached to the surface and collect viruses that would have otherwise been transferred onto that surface. Initial results demonstrate that stickers permit stable recovery characteristics, even at low virus titers. Scientific Reports

The Delta Variant is Detected in 99% of U.S. Cases, According to C.D.C.

The extremely transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, which overtook all other variants in the United States just a few months ago, now represents more than 99 percent of cases tracked in the country, according to the data from the CDC. New York Times

SPECIAL INTEREST

A Vaccine Veteran Steps Away From NIH

Barney Graham was deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center and chief of the viral pathogenesis laboratory. Mere days after Chinese scientists posted to an international database the genetic sequence of a new, as yet unnamed coronavirus that was causing a fast-expanding outbreak in Wuhan, Graham and his colleague Kizzmekia Corbett had designed the structure for a vaccine that later became the prototype for Moderna’s Covid-19 shot and laid the foundation for Covid vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, and others. STAT