The latest edition of the Argon CBRNe and HazMat Training Insights newsletter has been released. This issue includes information on the most common types of chemical warfare agent (CWA); Argon's guide to the 2019 CBRN Exhibition in Fort Leonard Wood; find out what to see at the Society for Radiological Protection Conference 2019;  what is the difference between pure and enriched uranium?; and finally, learn the most common HazMat threats for first responders.

To find out more and subscribe to the newsletter head to Argon Electronics 

Rigaku Analytical Devices is pleased to announce the Rigaku Progeny ResQ 1064 nm handheld Raman analyzer will be used as part of the U.S. FDA inspection pilot program to screen for pharmaceuticals, including narcotics.

The Office of Regulatory Affairs will use this equipment to support increased package inspections for pharmaceutical products including opioids at International Mail Facilities (IMFs). The Progeny™ ResQ™ analyzer is designed to identify narcotics, including fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and other narcotics in powder, liquid, and tablet forms.

The expansive library, rapid response time, easy operation and ability to scan through glass, plastic and other container material demonstrate why the Progeny ResQ is a highly effective tool for the FDA’s application. The U.S. Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) recognizes Raman spectroscopy as a Class A analytical technique for presumptive field testing.

“Because the U.S. FDA and other federal border agencies face exposure to potentially dangerous narcotics and chemicals without warning, these programs have proven how critical it is for our advanced identification tools to be readily available,” said Bree Allen, President of Rigaku Analytical Devices. “We are extremely pleased to provide a solution for keeping border officials and our communities safer.”

More information about handheld and portable spectroscopic analyzers from Rigaku is available at www.rigaku.com/handhelds

In 2015 the Australian Government announced plans to kill 2 million feral cats by 2020. These animals ar non-indigenous to the country and have been decimating native species to the point 

The latest idea in their arsenal to achieve this goal is airdropping poisoned sausages into the areas where the cats roam. 

These are no ordinary poisoned sausages mind you, they have been specially formulated for the task by Dr Dave Algar and consist of his own recipe of Kangaroo meat, chicken fat, herbs, and spices, and sodium monofluoroacetate aka 1080. 

Dr Algar tested the sausages on his own cats to ensure they would be palatable to those in the wild (sans poison of course). "They've got to taste good,” Dr Algar told the New York Times. “They are the cat's last meal."

Not only are these sausages being specially made, they even have their very own name, Eradicat! a registered trademark of the Western Australian government. 

The government has of course taken steps to ensure there will not be an indiscriminate poisoning of wildlife in the area. Sodium monofluoroacetate was chosen as the poison due to the fact it occurs naturally in Gastrolobium pea plants, and other species in the area are tolerant to it through their ingestion. The poison is also contained inside a hard pellet buried in the kangaroo meat as an added protection for other animals that might sneak a taste.

Almost half a million sausages are airdropped in a month and about 50 sausages are dropped every square kilometer. 

On Sunday April 28th Iran's state television reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is planning a visit to North Korea. 

“The date of this trip will be set and announced soon,” the television quoted Zarif as saying, in a Reuters report. It gave no further details.

Zarif has said that he does not believe US President Donald Trump wants war with Iran, but he told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump could be lured into a conflict.

“I don’t think he wants war,” Zarif said in an interview at the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York. “But that doesn’t exclude him being basically lured into one.”

Members of the 637th Chemical Company, the 719th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support, and the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron came together recently to conduct a live exercise to train to save the lives of military working dogs and their handlers in the event they were exposed to a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) substance.

Sergeant Cory Gwynn, a CBRN noncommissioned officer in charge with the 719th MDVSS, explained training military working dogs and their handlers to prepare for a CBRN exposure helps them plan for risks that they would not otherwise know to prepare for if they did not practice what they would do ahead of time.

"This training gives both sides an opportunity to be prepared in the event of CBRN exposure, which is great because it's not something that is often trained, so the decon element gets to see the dogs and the humans coming through in a live event; there are no dummies. You get to see things that situationally you wouldn't normally see when you are just walking through some training," said Gwynn.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Porschia Easom, a military working dog handler with the 386th ESFS, said this is the first time she conducted this type of training and thought it was a great way to prepare her military working dog, Beki, a Belgian Malinois that does bite work and finds explosives, for what she may experience in the event of a live CBRN exposure.

"She is very wary about new things, so you've seen the little machine that we've been trying to use [Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD)] it makes different sounds, so just to get them used to that, because if a chemical attack does happen everything is gonna be already heightened," said Easom.

The training involved the military working dogs and their handlers going through a Homeland Response Force Mission exposure scenario, which is an exposure event that could happen in the United States. They had a "hot" and "cold" section, hot being the exposed area and cold the area where the decontamination process is complete. Veterinarians and a veterinarian technician were available in the hot and cold areas to check on the MWDs. 

"The reason why we're doing this is because traditionally military working dogs don't go through this process of decon, so it's an improved opportunity for us to save lives, assets, and keep the dogs with the working handlers if they were exposed to a CBRN element," said Gwynn.

"It is important to keep the dogs safe because they are not only an asset, they are a battle buddy, and that affects morale for the military working dog units as well as people around them who work with the dogs. The Army keeps an asset right there as well as keeping Soldiers trained."

Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Anaidy Claudio

Bertin Instruments has just released Biotoxis, its new all-in-one qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) kit which enables multiple simultaneous pathogen detection: B. anthracis, Y. pestis and F. tularensis.

These highly dangerous pathogens are considered to be the first potential biological weapons leading to lethal infection.
In a context of global bioterrorism, the Biotoxis kit is designed for CBRN teams who need rapid results to intervene quickly in case of suspected biological attack.

Bertin’s Biotoxis is the only kit on the market capable of detecting all three reagents in one single reaction.
Its sensitivity makes it both precise and reliable, even in multiplex, where the detection limits represent 17 copies of target template for B. anthracis, 20 for Y. pestis and 49 for F. tularensis.

Biotoxis offers a method for pathogen detection in air and water, as well as in any biological samples.

Markes International (Llantrisant, UK), manufacturer of world-leading instrumentation for detecting trace-level organic compounds, has had its business success recognised by two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Markes has received the prestigious awards in the ‘Innovation’ and ‘International Trade’ categories, on the back of the ground-breaking valving technology incorporated in all of its thermal desorption instruments, as well its continued achievement in growing overseas trade. Markes is only one of 10 Welsh companies to receive an award and one of only 6 British companies to be recognised in two categories. The pair of awards follow on from success in 2015, when similar business growth led to a Queen’s Award for International Trade.

The switch-valve that is the subject of the Innovation award was developed and patented by the company, and allows routine monitoring of a wide range of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, by virtue of its tolerance of temperature extremes, small size, quick operation and construction from inert materials.

Alun Cole, Founding Director of Markes International, explains the importance of the valving technology to the company’s business: “Precise, reproducible control of gas flows is vital for the successful operation of any thermal desorption instrument. The switch-based valve design offered exactly this, at precisely the time when analysts were wanting to expand the use of TD to different sample types and a wider analyte range.”

“Looking back at the 20 years Markes has been in business, it’s fair to say that innovations like our switch-valve have been central to our achievements. We always have been, and continue to be, an innovative company, and are therefore very proud to have received these Queen’s Awards. These stand as testament to our excellence in analytical chemistry – both in our technical innovation, as well as our success in satisfying our customers globally.”  

Tim Hawkins, managing director added of Markes International Ltd: "It is a great honour to be recognised by Her Majesty The Queen for our excellence in Innovation and, for the second time, International Trade."

"We take great pride in introducing new technologies to our field of analytical chemistry, and alongside our valued trading partners, have been successful in supporting customers around the world and enhancing scientific progress."

FLIR Systems, Inc. have announced it has received an award from the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in support of the Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle Sensor Suite Upgrade (NBCRV SSU) program for the U.S. Army. The Other Transaction Authority Agreement (OTA) is valued at $48.1 million, with execution extending through mid-2022.

FLIR will be the lead integrator in the modernization of the U.S. Army’s NBCRV system. Under the agreement, FLIR will develop a platform agnostic modular mission payload, which integrates multiple chemical, biological and radiological sensors into a flexible command and control (C2) system. This C2 system will allow for data integration from the various sensors that will enable automation of certain tasks, reducing warfighter burden. The C2 system and the automation will allow for collaboration between manned Stryker vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and sensor integrated drone platforms.

“We are proud to be chosen by the U.S. Army as the lead developer and integrator for this key ground combat capability,” said Jim Cannon, President and CEO of FLIR. “This contract represents a significant example of our evolution from sensors to intelligent sensing to solutions that save lives and livelihoods. We will provide a wide selection of capabilities in this manned and unmanned platform application to help customers achieve successful mission outcomes.”

Work under the program has begun and is being performed at FLIR facilities in Stillwater, Oklahoma and Elkridge, Maryland. For more information about FLIR’s chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive detection equipment, visit FLIR

SenseNet is a fast, low-cost, and reliable integrated sensor system developed by ENSCO, Inc. that can detect biological threats in real time within buildings.

ENSCO, Inc. has been awarded a $2.9 million, 18-month contract from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to continue SenseNet’s development.

“Biological and environmental health hazards can pose a high threat to our nation. S&T is working to develop an innovative solution to this evolving problem using sensors that not only quickly and accurately detect possible hazards, but also distinguish between naturally occurring events and those that may be threats. SenseNet is a key example of how S&T is creating new approaches to help protect American citizens and infrastructure,” William N. Bryan, senior official performing the duties of the under secretary for Science and Technology, says.

Before the contract, ENSCO, Inc. already had a working prototype that could detect bio-hazards in varying building configurations. With this new funding, researchers will now integrate different sensor types that process data in the cloud to improve the detection performance.

The award will also contribute to further tests of a “tiered aerosol detection system that combines low-cost and rapid dedicated environmental monitoring sensors with newly emerging commercial sensors being used by citizens and facility owners for air quality, pollution tracking, and building efficiency purposes,” according to DHS S&T.

Zeteo Tech, the biodefense and medical device company that has developed a revolutionary new class of fieldable biological mass spectrometers, today announced that it has been awarded a contract of up to $6.5 million (including options) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and test a new sensor technology that enables real-time detection of aerosolized biological threat agents including bacteria, viruses, and toxins. The contract was awarded in support of the Department’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).

“We are excited to have been selected for this award to assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with its ongoing efforts to improve detection and response times to potential bioterrorism attacks or naturally occurring biological incidents,” said Dr. Wayne Bryden, President and CEO of Zeteo Tech. “Our team’s deep expertise with developing fieldable and real-time biological mass spectrometers is perfectly aligned to help DHS achieve its objective of protecting citizens and critical infrastructures from biological threats.”

DHS S&T is working to develop, test, and deploy new technologies that will decrease the time required to detect a biological incident. Current systems can require up to 12-36 hours to detect an aerosolized biological threat agent and are costly to operate. The sensor to be developed under this program is intended to contain component technologies that would have both trigger and detector functions, and improve current capabilities by:

• Reducing the amount of time required to detect the presence of a biological threat following release from the current 12-36 hour timeframe down to minutes
• Increasing the total number of biological threats that can be detected over current technologies
• Significantly lowering deployment, operations, and maintenance costs on a per sensor basis

“By combining both trigger and detector technologies, the sensor we are developing offers the potential for continuous air monitoring with the ability to rapidly and accurately identify biological particles indicative of a bioterrorist event,” said Mike McLoughlin, VP of Research at Zeteo Tech.

For more information about Zeteo Tech, please visit https://zeteotech.com.

Ology Bioservices, Inc., a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced today that the Department of Defense (DOD), through its Platforms for Rapid Integrated Solutions for Medical Countermeasures (PRISM) office, has awarded the company with two contracts valued at $135.4 million. The first is for the development of a medical countermeasure, and the second is to support the development of a new technology platform.

Medical Countermeasure Award: The PRISM Office awarded Ology Bioservices a $130.3 million, 10-year contract, entitled, “Development and Utilization of a Monoclonal Antibody Platform Prototype for Development of Monoclonal Antibodies as Medical Countermeasures Against Threats of Interest.” This program is part of PRISM’s Advanced Development and Manufacturing of Antibody Technologies (ADAMANT) platform concept, which is intended to explore how monoclonal antibodies can be used as next-generation medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats.

The target for this program is Plague, a disease caused by infection with the bacterium Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis). Plague has been responsible for several major, deadly pandemics throughout recorded history. As the Plague is considered a potential biological weapon, the efforts of this program are focused on producing high quality monoclonal antibodies that will protect warfighters who may become exposed to this deadly agent.

“To date, no one has successfully used monoclonal antibodies against Y. pestisas a treatment for Plague in humans,” said Dr. Robert V. House, Senior Vice President, Government Contracts at Ology Bioservices. “This multiyear program, which will encompass solutions for discovery/design, manufacturing, testing, quality, regulatory strategy and program management, gives Ology Bioservices the unique opportunity to make meaningful strides in this arena. We have assembled a world-class team to assist us in this effort including the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Just Biotherapeutics, Inc., Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Cato Research, Certara and Battelle.”

Technology Award: PRISM also awarded Ology Bioservices a $5.1 million, 30-month contract entitled, “Developing, Establishing and Exercising Plasmid DNA Manufacturing Capabilities at the DOD Advanced Development and Manufacturing Facility.”

Under this program, Ology Bioservices will develop and deliver a prototype manufacturing platform for the CGMP production of nucleic acids, primarily plasmid DNA for use as both Drug Substance and high-quality intermediate. Plasmid DNA is important, primarily for its use in DNA vaccines and gene therapy. The aim of the project is to more rapidly and efficiently deliver biodefense medical countermeasures to warfighters, with reduced developmental risk.

Dr. Peter H. Khoury, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ology Bioservices, noted, “We welcome the opportunity to bring this important, cutting-edge technology to our company. Not only does it support the important work we do with the DOD to provide protection to warfighters, it also increases our skillset to enhance the services already offered to our commercial clients.”

This contract also includes optional components that would facilitate the development of capabilities for manufacturing RNA, another area of potential value to the U.S. government and commercial clients for various uses, including RNA vaccines.

The poxvirus — with its applications for the investigation of disease development, cross-species infection-caused diseases, vaccine development and cancer virotherapy — is the focus of research by Jia Liu, Ph.D., who has received a $1.86 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue this innovative work at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The grant is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and will support Liu’s work for five years. Liu is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the UAMS College of Medicine. She will be studying the poxvirus on the molecular level and how the disease develops.

With this specific grant, Liu will study the gene function of (sterile a motif domain-containing protein 9, or SAMD9), which was discovered as recently as 2006 to be important for human health. It is now realized that SAMD9 protein is both critical in immune responses against a broad range of viruses and in inhibiting cancer cells from arising.

With this five-year phase of funding, Liu’s goals are to understand how SAMD9 contributes to host immunity, how SAMD9 can be blocked by myxoma virus, and how SAMD9 can play a role in preventing a pathogen from spreading from one species to another.

Understanding these details of host immunity and host-virus interactions is important for many reasons. In this globally connected world, outbreaks of diseases, especially those that are new to a population, can be devastating. Diseases in one species that adapt to attack a new species are of particular concern. Global health crises like bird and swine flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Ebola viruses are examples.

Vaccines are a main line of defense against viral pathogens and work by awakening the immune system. Better understanding this dynamic through work like Liu’s will improve the ability to develop effective vaccines and keep up with the ever-changing adaptations in both hosts and pathogens. 

Liu’s story is another successful example from the UAMS Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Inflammatory Responses, directed by Mark Smeltzer, Ph.D. The center has earned $21 million in funding through the NIH’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program, which aims to provide funding and mentoring to researchers who are early in their careers. Liu was supported by the center for the first three years of her research since she joined UAMS in 2013.