Anthrax Vaccines in the 21st Century by Apostolos P. Georgopoulos, Lisa M. James

“…Vaccination against <i>Bacillus anthracis</i> is the best preventive measure against the development of deadly anthrax disease in the event of exposure to anthrax either as a bioweapon or in its naturally occurring form. Anthrax vaccines, however, have historically been plagued with controversy, particularly related to their safety. …”
Get full text

Current State of Anthrax Vaccines and Key R&D Gaps Moving Forward by Adam Clark, Daniel N. Wolfe

“…However, investments in anthrax vaccines continue due to the severity of the threat posed by this bacterium, as both a naturally occurring pathogen and the potential for use as a bioweapon. In this review, we will capture the current landscape of anthrax vaccine development, focusing on those lead candidates in clinical development. …”
Get full text

Tolfenpyrad displays Francisella-targeted antibiotic activity that requires an oxidative stress response regulator for sensitivity by Ashley Clarke, Isabelle M. Llabona, Nimra Khalid, Danielle Hulvey, Alexis Irvin, Nicole Adams, Henry S. Heine, Aria Eshraghi

“…Given their history of development as bioweapons, new treatment options must be developed to bolster public health preparedness. …”
Get full text

BIOTERRORISM: THE DEVELOPMENT AND ITS REGULATIONS ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL LAW by Yaksa Elyasa

“…In the 14th century, bioterror incidents recorded in black death plagues in Europe caused more than 50 million deaths and vanished more than 60% of its population back then. Because of the bioweapon impacts, there are concerns if this weapon is under irresponsible parties such as the group of terrorists. …”
Get full text

Mycotoxins Biocontrol Methods for Healthier Crops and Stored Products by Kristina Habschied, Vinko Krstanović, Zvonimir Zdunić, Jurislav Babić, Krešimir Mastanjević, Gabriella Kanižai Šarić

“…Many eminent researchers are seeking a way to reduce the use of synthetic antifungal compounds and to implement more eco-friendly and healthier bioweapons against fungal proliferation and mycotoxin synthesis. …”
Get full text

Biofunctionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Colorimetric Sensing of Botulinum Neurotoxin A Light Chain by Liu, Xiaohu, Wang, Yi, Chen, Peng, Wang, Yusong, Zhang, Jinling, Aili, Daniel, Liedberg, Bo

“…Botulinum neurotoxin is considered as one of the most toxic food-borne substances and is a potential bioweapon accessible to terrorists. The development of an accurate, convenient, and rapid assay for botulinum neurotoxins is therefore highly desirable for addressing biosafety concerns. …”
Get full text
Get full text

Virus and Visible Reality by Goutam Karmakar, Jaya Sarkar

“…The plan to use an artificially engineered virus as a bioweapon to profit wreaks havoc in London, resulting in several deaths, fear, panic, civil disorder, a spike in crime, and a string of anarchy throughout the city. …”
Get full text

Hate Speech in a Telegram Conspiracy Channel During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Matteo Vergani, Alfonso Martinez Arranz, Ryan Scrivens, Liliana Orellana

“…We found that, before the first lockdown in early 2020, the primary target of hate was China, which was blamed for a new bioweapon. Yet over the course of 2020 and particularly after the beginning of the second lockdown, the primary targets became journalists and healthcare workers, who were blamed for exaggerating the threat of COVID-19. …”
Get full text

ASEAN and Biosecurity Law: Experience and dilemmas of regional integration in Southeast Asia by Noor Dzuhaidah Osman, Norman Zakiyy Chow Jen-T'chiang

“…This biosecurity paradigm will enable these bodies and organisations to better integrate with the various instruments charged with controlling biosafety, biosecurity, pandemics, and bioweapons. All actors involved in regulating should have some common ground or perhaps a new different body to coordinate all the various threats in the future. …”
Get full text

Medical Countermeasures against Ricin Intoxication by Christine Rasetti-Escargueil, Arnaud Avril

“…Because ricin toxin is highly toxic and can be readily extracted from beans, it could be used as a bioweapon (CDC B-list). Due to its extreme lethality and potential use as a biological weapon, ricin toxin remains a global public health concern requiring specific countermeasures. …”
Get full text

High-risk human-caused pathogen exposure events from 1975-2016 [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] by David Manheim, Gregory Lewis

“…Despite these efforts, there are incidents of various types that could potentially be controlled or eliminated by different lab and/or bioweapon research choices and safety procedures. The dataset of events presented here was compiled during a project conducted in 2019 to better understand biological risks from anthropic sources. …”
Get full text

Potential of bacteriophage therapy in managing Staphylococcus aureus infections during chemotherapy for lung cancer patients by Jiaqi Li, Huangliang Zheng, Sharon Shui Yee Leung

“…Although bacteriophages are widely reported as an effective bioweapon for managing bacterial infections, its applicability in handling infectious complications during cancer chemotherapy remains unknown. …”
Get full text

ESR and NMR studies provide evidence that phosphatidyl glycerol specifically interacts with poxvirus membranes by Perino Julien, Favier Anne-Laure, Crouzier David, Debouzy Jean-Claude

“…<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The lung would be the first organ targeted in case of the use of Variola virus (the causative agent of smallpox) as a bioweapon. Pulmonary surfactant composed of lipids (90%) and proteins (10%) is considered the major physiological barrier against airborne pathogens. …”
Get full text

Current Advances in <i>Burkholderia</i> Vaccines Development by Guanbo Wang, Paulina Zarodkiewicz, Miguel A. Valvano

“…<i>B. mallei</i> and <i>B. pseudomallei</i>, the cause of glanders and melioidosis, respectively, are considered potential bioweapons. The Bcc comprises a subset of <i>Burkholderia</i> species associated with respiratory infections in people with chronic granulomatous disease and cystic fibrosis. …”
Get full text

Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Strategies and Nucleoside Analogues by Robert J. Geraghty, Matthew T. Aliota, Laurent F. Bonnac

“…Thus, developing broad-spectrum antiviral molecules for a fast response is essential to face an outbreak crisis as well as for bioweapon countermeasures. So far, broad-spectrum antivirals include two main categories: the family of drugs targeting the host-cell machinery essential for virus infection and replication, and the family of drugs directly targeting viruses. …”
Get full text

What Is Anthrax? by William A. Bower, Katherine A. Hendricks, Antonio R. Vieira, Rita M. Traxler, Zachary Weiner, Ruth Lynfield, Alex Hoffmaster

“…The etiologic agent is considered a potentially devastating bioweapon, and since 1876―when Robert Koch demonstrated that Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax―it has been considered the sole cause of the disease. …”
Get full text

Rationally Attenuated Vaccines for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Protect Against Epidemic Strains with a Single Dose by Shannan L. Rossi, Kasi E. Russell-Lodrigue, Kenneth S. Plante, Nicholas A. Bergren, Rodion Gorchakov, Chad J. Roy, Scott C. Weaver

“…Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a re-emerging virus of human, agriculture, and bioweapon threat importance. No FDA-approved treatment is available to combat Venezuelan equine encephalitis in humans, prompting the need to create a vaccine that is safe, efficacious, and cannot be replicated in the mosquito vector. …”
Get full text

Pharmacophore Selection and Redesign of Non-nucleotide Inhibitors of Anthrax Edema Factor by Maria Estrella Jimenez, Laurie E. Sower, Mary A. Walter, Scott R. Gilbertson, Johnny W. Peterson, John J. Kanalas, Jian Gao, Lili Ma, Deliang Chen, Catherine H. Schein

“…Stable and easily stored inhibitors of the edema factor toxin (EF), an adenylyl cyclase, could save lives in the event of an outbreak, due to natural causes or a bioweapon attack. The toxin’s basic activity is to convert ATP to cAMP, and it is thus in principle a simple phosphatase, which means that many mammalian enzymes, including intracellular adenylcyclases, may have a similar activity. …”
Get full text

Gene editing: biosecurity challenges and risks by Samaneh Fatollahi Arani

“…Therefore, CRISPR-based bioweapons represent a fundamental change in Schilling's Law. …”
Get full text

Economic evaluation of border closure for a generic severe pandemic threat using New Zealand Treasury methods by Matt Boyd, Osman D. Mansoor, Michael G. Baker, Nick Wilson

“…Conclusions: This work quantifies the economic benefits and costs from border closure for New Zealand under specific assumptions in a generic but severe pandemic threat (e.g. influenza, synthetic bioweapon). Preparing for such a pandemic response seems wise for an island nation, although successful border closure may only be feasible if planned well ahead. …”
Get full text