AI VERTICI DELL'IDIOTOCRAZIA GLOBALE: ITALIA LOCOMOTIVA DEL MONDO

 

Afghanistan, Draghi: "Proteggeremo chi ha lavorato con noi". Di Maio disponibile riferire in Parlamento

Mario Draghi 
Palazzo Chigi: "L'Italia è al lavoro per una soluzione della crisi". Pd e FI: "Ora corridoi umanitari". La Lega chiede un'informativa urgente al governo. Mercoledì 18 audizione della direttrice del Dis, Elisabetta Belloni, al Copasir
3 minuti di lettura

"Ora bisogna proteggere chi ha collaborato, chi ha lavorato per noi". Non usa giri di parole il presidente del Consiglio, Mario Draghi, per tracciare la road map dell'impegno del governo italiano nei confronti dei profughi afghani. "L'impegno dell'Italia - spiega in una nota Palazzo Chigi - è proteggere i cittadini afghani che hanno collaborato con la nostra missione. Il presidente è in continuo contatto con il ministro della Difesa, Lorenzo Guerini, e il ministro degli Esteri, Luigi Di Maio". Proprio il titolare della Farnesina è però al centro della polemica politica a causa delle foto che lo hanno immortalato su una spiagga in Salento proprio nei giorni della presa di Kabul da parte dei talebani. "L'Italia è al lavoro con i partner europei per una soluzione della crisi, che tuteli i diritti umani e in particolare quelli delle donne", prosegue la nota di Palazzo Chigi.

Intanto fonti della Lega fanno sapere di aver chiesto al governo un'informativa urgente sulla situazione in Afghanistan e peril 24 agosto è stata fissata l'audizione dei ministri Di Maio e Guerini nelle commissioni Esteri congiunte di Camere e Senato. E fonti della Farnesina fanno comunque sapere che Di Maio è disponibile a riferire in Parlamento in settimana. Il 18 agosto alle 11, invece, è stata fissata l'audizione della direttrice del Dis, Elisabetta Belloni, al Copasir.

A invocare un intervento comunitario in difesa di donne, uomini e bambini afghani è il sottosegretario agli Esteri, Vincenzo Amendola. "Vent'anni di impegno in Afghanistan conclusi drammaticamente, con le ragioni della missione cancellate da un ritiro precipitoso e senza condizioni - scrive su Twitter -  L'Ue deve condividere la responsabilità di questa tragedia umanitaria: facciamo il possibile per accogliere chi scappa dai talebani". La capogruppo del Pd alla Camera, Debora Serracchiani, sottolinea che davanti alla guerra "la comunità internazionale non può mostrarsi distratta o indifferente". Per questo, "occorre fare presto. Agire con rapidità nel soccorso di quanti stanno fuggendo dal regime talebano. Soccorso e accoglienza. L'Italia - conclude - si attivi per promuovere corridoi umanitari e azioni concordate per i rifugiati e tutti coloro, a cominciare dalle donne, che hanno creduto nella promessa di libertà e tutela dei diritti dell'Occidente".

E Erasmo Palazzo di LeU aggiunge: "Per l'Unione Europea questa è un'altra ennesima occasione per ripensare le politiche di protezione e accoglienza. Questa volta l'Europa non può permettersi di sbagliare. Non di nuovo". Dal Movimento 5 Stelle arriva l'appello affinchè siano tutelati i diritti umani "a partire dalle donne ed i bambini. Anche l'Italia ha il dovere di esprimere il proprio contributo per il supporto e l'asilo alle popolazioni ed alle donne afghane in pericolo, come previsto dalla convenzione di Istanbul. Inoltre - concludono i grillini della commissione Diritti umani - dobbiamo insistere con l'Unione Europea perché soprattutto in una situazione come questa ci sia una politica comune e non a macchia di leopardo, tra azioni di supporto e rimpatrio dei profughi afghani".

A chiedere con urgenza i corridoi umanitari "per evacuare tutti gli afghani che abbiano il desiderio di lasciare il loro Paese" sono anche la deputata di Forza Italia Sandra Saino, mentre l'europarlamentare azzurra Luisa Regimenti fa appello all'Ue affinché "si attivi per organizzare al più presto un canale di aiuti sanitari e umanitari". E le senatrici della Lega chiedono che "la comunità internazionale non dimentichi donne e bambini". E alle donne afghane da Italia viva Teresa Bellanova su Facebook rivolge un pensiero perché "oggi si sono svegliate in un mondo ben diverso da quello che avevano bramato e sognato". Ma poi parla anche degli "uomini che con coraggio sono lì a raccontarci quanto sta accadendo: è grazie a loro che possiamo capirne a fondo la gravita' del momento". E conclude: "Sì, abbiamo fallito. Tutte e tutti, nessuno escluso".

"L'Occidente non può limitarsi ad assistere rassegnato al trionfo dei suoi nemici, dell'integralismo islamico che sta riportando l'Afganistan ai periodi più oscuri della sua storia", avverte il leader di Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi. "La Nato - aggiunge - non può permettere che l'Afghanistan torni a costituire un pericolo per la sicurezza della regione e dell'intero Occidente, né può permettere che i diritti faticosamente acquisti dal popolo afgano in questi anni siano cancellati dall'integralismo e dalla violenza".

Su Twittter intanto Giorgia Meloni, leader di Fratelli d'Italia, coglie l'occasione per attaccare il governo statunitense. "Da ieri sera, l'Aeroporto di Kabul è preso d'assalto da migliaia di persone che tentano di fuggire dall'Afghanistan dopo la riconquista da parte dei Talebani. Scene che lasciano senza fiato, dalle quali trapela tutta la disperazione di un popolo abbandonato al proprio destino". E nel suo post aggiunge: "Biden trasforma il disimpegno dall'Afghanistan in una fuga disordinata delle truppe americane. Inizia nel peggiore dei modi l'era del Presidente Biden. Come purtroppo temevamo".

Ma il portavoce di Sinistra italiana, Nicola Fratoianni, attacca: "Le reazioni in Italia che hanno accompagnato l'inarrestabile e veloce avanzata dei talebani in Afghanistan hanno un sapore ipocrita e un po' indecente. È l'ipocrisia e l'indecenza di chi 20 anni fa appoggiava con una quasi unanimità parlamentare e in modo assolutamente acritico la cosiddetta 'guerra umanitaria', l'esportazione della democrazia, le bombe come soluzione politica. Soluzione che si è dimostrata illusoria".

AI VERTICI DELL'IDIOTOCRAZIA GLOBALE: ITALIA LOCOMOTIVA DEL MONDO

 

Afghanistan: West must reflect on mistakes says Di Maio

We will continue evacuation of Afghans who helped us - FM

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 17 - The West must reflect on the mistakes made after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in short order after a western pullout, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday.
    Di Maio told EU colleagues "we cannot shrink, as the West, from a profound reflection on the mistakes made and he lessons to be learned from the 20-year intervention in Afghanistan.
    "Now, however, it is necessary to define a common strategy.
    "In the Italian vision, the European approach should be based on five priorities".
    These priorities, he said, included the protection of civilians and protecting Afghans who worked with the international community.
    He said Italy would continue to bring out Afghans who had worked with its military contingent and embassy.
    "In the next few days," he added, "we will have to work on a coordinated international initiative to ensure humanitarian flights and make sure the emergency is replaced by an organised process". (ANSA).

DARPA's COVID-19 Test Detects Virus Before People Become Infectious: WHAT A NICE FAMILY

 

DARPA's COVID-19 Test Detects Virus Before People Become Infectious

The groundbreaking test could roll out mid-May.

The research arm of the Defense Department worked with a team of scientists to develop a new test that can potentially identify COVID-19 in individuals before they become infectious.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency arranged the test research and development out of a project already underway to rapidly diagnose germ or warfare chemical poisoning. The agency redirected the effort as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The test is currently in pre-FDA submission validation and aiming for emergency use authorization within a week.

DARPA said the test can detect the presence of COVID-19 as soon as 24 hours after a person is infected, which is before individuals experience symptoms and several days before the virus can spread to others.

Scientists at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, Princeton University and Duke University collaborated with DARPA, leveraging different research methods and technology to create the test.

DARPA Biological Technology Office Program Manager Dr. Eric Van Gieson credited several technological advancements to the quick turnaround of the new diagnostic test — including Stanford Professor William Greenleaf’s single-cell chromatin epigenetic analysis methods and Salk Institute Professor Joseph Ecker’s single-cell methylation analyses. The group leveraged single-cell mRNA analysis as well.

In a recent podcast episode from DARPA, Biological Technology Office's Director Dr. Brad Ringeisen stressed the role of epigenetics in the approach of the advanced test.

“We're looking at the epigenetic response of your own body,” Ringeisen said. “That epigenetic response may occur on day one of exposure to that virus, and so your body starts adjusting, it starts adapting to that infection and it starts leaving genetic marks on your genome. So we're very confident that we're going to be able to identify host epigenetic marks that are specific to this new COVID-19 outbreak.”

The team also used new artificial intelligence tools, such as Icahn School of Medicine's pathway-level information extractor, or PLIER, to enable DARPA's Epigenetic Characterization Observation (ECHO) program to build tests rapidly, according to Van Gieson, who also directs ECHO. PLIER uses information from pathways databases to automatically identify pathways that regular gene expression — a method that has enabled scientists to infer a variety of biological insights.

The group’s efforts have led to a test that can yield a diagnostic result in 30 minutes to an hour, and if administered quickly enough, DARPA’s test can detect the virus four days before current tests can — a milestone that can increase the opportunity to isolate pre-infectious cases and track the spread of the virus.

“This technology has the ability to identify infection before symptoms appear and also before conventional tests [can],” Van Gieson said. “Part of our validation process is to evaluate how soon we can identify infection, but similar approaches have shown that host response targets, such as mRNA, can be identified three to four days before detection of viral infections through direct viral tests for infections such as influenza.”

Van Gieson said that he hopes to administer the new test when it gains use authorization through Fluidigm systems, a biological technology company that participated in DARPA’s project.

“The goal of this test is to be implemented on platforms that can have the most impact on the current outbreak, so we will be leveraging high-throughput platforms, including the Fluidigm systems,” he explained.

Van Gieson added that his team has begun working with other parts of DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to form an interagency effort to disseminate the test in the most effective way across the country.

If granted emergency use authorization, the group can manufacture and roll out tests by the second half of May, with the potential for U.S. medical facilities to administer 100,000 daily tests in May and up to 1 million tests per day longer term.

The academics who worked with DARPA on the test also aim to publish research behind the test’s development online to allow other scientists to expand upon the group’s work and test similar methodology.

PATENTS BY MR ANTHONY FAUCI WITH THE USPO

 

Patents by Inventor Anthony S. Fauci

Anthony S. Fauci has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9896509
    Abstract: Methods are provided for the treatment of a HIV infection. The methods can include administering to a subject with an HIV infection a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist, thereby treating the HIV infection. In several examples, the ?4 integrin antagonist is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to a ?4, ?1 or ?7 integrin subunit or a cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence of CWLDVC. Methods are also provided to reduce HIV replication or infection. The methods include contacting a cell with an effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist. Moreover, methods are provided for determining if an agent is useful to treat HIV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: James Arthos, Diana Goode, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Publication number: 20160333097
    Abstract: Methods are provided for the treatment of a HIV infection. The methods can include administering to a subject with an HIV infection a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist, thereby treating the HIV infection. In several examples, the ?4 integrin antagonist is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to a ?4, ?1 or ?7 integrin subunit or a cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence of CWLDVC. Methods are also provided to reduce HIV replication or infection. The methods include contacting a cell with an effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist. Moreover, methods are provided for determining if an agent is useful to treat HIV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Applicant: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Serv
    Inventors: James Arthos, Diana Goode, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 9441041
    Abstract: Methods are provided for the treatment of a HIV infection. The methods can include administering to a subject with an HIV infection a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist, thereby treating the HIV infection. In several examples, the ?4 integrin antagonist is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to a ?4, ?1 or ?7 integrin subunit or a cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence of CWLDVC. Methods are also provided to reduce HIV replication or infection. The methods include contacting a cell with an effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist. Moreover, methods are provided for determining if an agent is useful to treat HIV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: James Arthos, Diana Goode, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Publication number: 20160075786
    Abstract: Methods are provided for the treatment of a HIV infection. The methods can include administering to a subject with an HIV infection a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist, thereby treating the HIV infection. In several examples, the ?4 integrin antagonist is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to a ?4, ?1 or ?7 integrin subunit or a cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence of CWLDVC. Methods are also provided to reduce HIV replication or infection. The methods include contacting a cell with an effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and ?4 integrin, such as a ?4?1 or ?4?7 integrin antagonist. Moreover, methods are provided for determining if an agent is useful to treat HIV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicant: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Serv
    Inventors: James Arthos, Diana Goode, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Publication number: 20090285815
    Abstract: Nucleic acids encoding recombinant CD4-fusion proteins are disclosed herein that include a CD4 polypeptide ligated at its C-terminus with a portion of an immunoglobulin comprising a hinge region and a constant domain of a mammalian immunoglobulin heavy chain. The portion of the IgG is fused at its C-terminus with a polypeptide comprising a tailpiece from the C terminus of the heavy chain of an IgA antibody or a tailpiece from a C terminus of the heavy chain of an IgM antibody. Also disclosed herein are methods for using these CD4-fusion proteins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Inventors: James Arthos, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 7368114
    Abstract: Novel recombinant polypeptides are disclosed herein that include a CD4 polypeptide ligated at its C-terminus with a portion of an immunoglobulin comprising a hinge region and a constant domain of a mammalian immunoglobulin heavy chain. The portion or the IgG is fused at its C-terminus with a polypeptide comprising a tailpiece from the C-terminus of the heavy chain of an IgA antibody ara tailpiece from a C-terminus of the heavy chain of an IgM antibody. Also disclosed herein are methods for using these CD4 fusion proteins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: James Arthos, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 6911527
    Abstract: This invention is the discovery of novel specific epitopes and antibodies associated with long term survival of HIV-1 infections. These epitopes and antibodies have use in preparing vaccines for preventing HIV-1 infection or for controlling progression to AIDS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Giuseppe Scala, Xueni Chen, Oren J. Cohen, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Publication number: 20040265306
    Abstract: Novel recombinant polypeptides are disclosed herein that include a CD4 polypeptide ligated at its C-terminus with a portion of an immunoglobulin comprising a hinge region and a constant domain of a mammalian immunoglobulin heavy chain. The portion of the IgG is fused at its C-terminus with a polypeptide comprising a tailpiece from the C-terminus of the heavy chain of an IgA antibody or a tailpiece from a C-terminus of the heavy chain of an IgM antibody. Also disclosed herein are methods for using these CD4-fusion proteins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventors: James Arthos, Claudia Cicala, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Publication number: 20030180254
    Abstract: A method for activating a mammalian immune system entails a series of IL-2 administrations that are effected intermittently over an extended period. Each administration of IL-2 is sufficient to allow spontaneous DNA synthesis in peripheral blood or lymph node cells of the patient to increase and peak, and each subsequent administration follows the preceding administration in the series by a period of time that is sufficient to allow IL-2 receptor expression in peripheral or lymph node blood of the patient to increase, peak and then decrease to 50% of peak value. This intermittent IL-2 therapy can be combined with another therapy which targets a specific disease state, such as an anti-retroviral therapy comprising, for example, the administration of AZT, ddI or interferon alpha. In addition, IL-2 administration can be employed to facilitate in situ transduction of T cells in the context of gene therapy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Applicant: The Govt. of the USA as represented by the Secretary of the Dept. of Health & Human Services
    Inventors: H. Clifford Lane, Joseph A. Kovacs, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 6548055
    Abstract: A method for activating a mammalian immune system entails a series of IL-2 administrations that are effected intermittently over an extended period. Each administration of IL-2 is sufficient to allow spontaneous DNA synthesis in peripheral blood or lymph node cells of the patient to increase and peak, and each subsequent administration follows the preceding administration in the series by a period of time that is sufficient to allow IL-2 receptor expression in peripheral or lymph node blood of the patient to increase, peak and then decrease to 50% of peak value. This intermittent IL-2 therapy can be combined with another therapy which targets a specific disease state, such as an anti-retroviral therapy comprising, for example, the administration of AZT, ddI or interferon alpha. In addition, IL-2 administration can be employed to facilitate in situ transduction of T cells in the context of gene therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: H. Clifford Lane, Joseph A. Kovacs, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 6190656
    Abstract: A method for activating a mammalian immune system entails a series of IL-2 administrations that are effected intermittently over an extended period. Each administration of IL-2 is sufficient to allow spontaneous DNA synthesis in peripheral blood or lymph node cells of the patient to increase and peak, and each subsequent administration follows the preceding administration in the series by a period of time that is sufficient to allow IL-2 receptor expression in peripheral or lymph node blood of the patient to increase, peak and then decrease to 50% of peak value. This intermittent IL-2 therapy can be combined with another therapy which targets a specific disease state, such as an anti-retroviral therapy comprising, for example, the administration of AZT, ddI or interferon alpha. In addition, IL-2 administration can be employed to facilitate in situ transduction of T cells in the context of gene therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: H. Clifford Lane, Joseph A. Kovacs, Anthony S. Fauci
  • Patent number: 5696079
    Abstract: A method for activating a mammalian immune system entails a series of IL-2 administrations that are effected intermittently over an extended period. Each administration of IL-2 is sufficient to allow spontaneous DNA synthesis in peripheral blood or lymph node cells of the patient to increase and peak, and each subsequent administration follows the preceding administration in the series by a period of time that is sufficient to allow IL-2 receptor expression in peripheral or lymph node blood of the patient to increase, peak and then decrease to 50% of peak value. This intermittent IL-2 therapy can be combined with another therapy which targets a specific disease state, such as an anti-retroviral therapy comprising, for example, the administration of AZT, ddI or interferon alpha. In addition, IL-2 administration can be employed to facilitate in situ transduction of T cells in the context of gene therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: H. Clifford Lane, Joseph A. Kovacs, Anthony S. Fauci

WHAT A NICE FAMILY

 

US military agency invests $100m in genetic extinction technologies

This article is more than 3 years old

Technology could be used to wipe out malaria carrying mosquitos or other pests but UN experts say fears over possible military uses and unintended consequences strengthen case for a ban

Mosquito
Cutting-edge gene editing tools could be used to distort the sex-ratio of mosquitoes to effectively wipe out malarial populations. Photograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images

First published on Mon 4 Dec 2017 05.00 GMT


A US military agency is investing $100m in genetic extinction technologies that could wipe out malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents or other species, emails released under freedom of information rules show.

The documents suggest that the US’s secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has become the world’s largest funder of “gene drive” research and will raise tensions ahead of a UN expert committee meeting in Montreal beginning on Tuesday.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is debating whether to impose a moratorium on the gene research next year and several southern countries fear a possible military application.

UN diplomats confirmed that the new email release would worsen the “bad name” of gene drives in some circles. “Many countries [will] have concerns when this technology comes from Darpa, a US military science agency,” one said.

The use of genetic extinction technologies in bioweapons is the stuff of nightmares, but known research is focused entirely on pest control and eradication.

Cutting-edge gene editing tools such as Crispr-Cas9 work by using a synthetic ribonucleic acid (RNA) to cut into DNA strands and then insert, alter or remove targeted traits. These might, for example, distort the sex-ratio of mosquitoes to effectively wipe out malarial populations.

Some UN experts, though, worry about unintended consequences. One told the Guardian: “You may be able to remove viruses or the entire mosquito population, but that may also have downstream ecological effects on species that depend on them.”

“My main worry,” he added, “is that we do something irreversible to the environment, despite our good intentions, before we fully appreciate the way that this technology will work.”

Jim Thomas, a co-director of the ETC group which obtained the emails, said the US military influence they revealed would strengthen the case for a ban.

“The dual use nature of altering and eradicating entire populations is as much a threat to peace and food security as it is a threat to ecosystems,” he said. “Militarisation of gene drive funding may even contravene the Enmod convention against hostile uses of environmental modification technologies.”

Todd Kuiken, who has worked with the GBIRd programme, which receives $6.4m from Darpa, said that the US military’s centrality to gene tech funding meant that “researchers who depend on grants for their research may reorient their projects to fit the narrow aims of these military agencies”.

Between 2008 and 2014, the US government spent about $820m on synthetic biology. Since 2012, most of this has come from Darpa and other military agencies, Kuiken says.

In an email reporting a US military-organised conference in June, a US government biologist noted that Darpa’s biotechnology program manager Renee Wegrzynhad said “the safe genes projects account [was] for $65m, but then mentioned with all other support in the room, it was $100m”.

A Darpa spokesman said that the figure was “a liberal, notional estimate” that included researchers at the meeting funded by Darpa under related efforts.

“Darpa is not and should not be the only funder of gene-editing research but it is critical for the Department of Defense to defend its personnel and preserve military readiness,” he said.

Darpa believes that a steep fall in the costs of gene-editing toolkits has created a greater opportunity for hostile or rogue actors to experiment with the technology.

“This convergence of low cost and high availability means that applications for gene editing – both positive and negative – could arise from people or states operating outside of the traditional scientific community and international norms,” the official said. “It is incumbent on Darpa to perform this research and develop technologies that can protect against accidental and intentional misuse.”

Gene-drive research has been pioneered by an Imperial College London professor, Andrea Crisanti, who confirmed he has been hired by Darpa on a $2.5m contract to identify and disable such drives.

Fears that the research could be channeled towards bioweapons were “all fantasy”, he said. “There is no way this technology could be used for any military purpose. The general interest is in developing systems to contain the undesired effects of gene drives. We have never been asked to consider any application not for the good of eliminating plagues.”

Interest in the technology among US army bureaus has shot up since a secret report by the elite Jason group of military scientists last year “received considerable attention among various agencies of the US government”, according to an email by Gerald Joyce, who co-chaired a Jason study group in June.

A second Jason report was commissioned in 2017 assessing “potential threats this technology might pose in the hands of an adversary, technical obstacles that must be overcome to develop gene drive technology and employ it ‘in the wild’,” Joyce wrote.

The paper would not be publicly disclosed but “widely circulated within the US intelligence and broader national security community”, his email said.




  • WHAT A NICE FAMILY

     

    How the U.S. government bolstered Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate

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    Coronavirus vaccine

    [Image courtesy of Wikipedia]

    Until recently, the most rapidly developed vaccine was for mumps, which took four years. Now, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) appear to be on the cusp of commercializing COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization.

    It was only a year ago that physicians in China identified unusual pneumonia cases that would later be associated with the novel coronavirus.

    As impressive as the rapid pace of COVID-19 vaccine development has been, researchers have drawn on foundational work that stretches back almost two decades, said Barry Bloom, a research professor at Harvard University, in the recent webinar titled the “Race for the COVID-19 Vaccine: Latest Updates.”

    And the Moderna vaccine candidate, in particular, has benefited from U.S. government support.

    A marathon as well as a sprint

    The race to develop COVID vaccines has roots stretching back to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and the anthrax attacks that followed in the subsequent weeks. The events led the National Academy of Sciences to convene a set of committees to examine the twin threats of terrorism and pandemics. The committees “concluded that we were enormously vulnerable and we had to do a lot of different things [to] protect the country,” said Bloom, who co-chaired a bioterrorism panel for the National Academy of Sciences at the time.

    In 2002, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) first appeared in China and took hold internationally within months. Effective public health interventions prevented SARS from becoming a pandemic.

    In 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the National Pandemic Influenza Plan to provide a blueprint for pandemic response. “At some point in our nation’s future, another virus will emerge with the potential to create a global disease outbreak,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt at the time.

    The pandemic plan stressed the importance of antiviral drugs and vaccines. “It is a wonderful plan,” Bloom noted. But before COVID-19 hit, the report had “disappeared in a drawer somewhere in Washington,” he added.

    But the U.S. government’s focus on vaccines to combat pandemics likely played a role in spurring further research into novel vaccine platforms.

    DARPA and BARDA make vaccine investments

    Government agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) would play a role in vaccine development. DARPA “invests in very long term science and technology [projects] that will pay off in 20 years,” Bloom said.

    The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) developed a stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike immunogen (S-2P) that Moderna would later use in its messenger RNA platform.

    DARPA was instrumental in the development of RNA vaccines and provided $25 million in financial support to Moderna in 2013 to pursue messenger RNA–based antibody drugs and vaccines. DARPA announced it was committing up to $56 million in additional funding to Moderna this October.

    BARDA has committed another roughly $955 million to Moderna.

    In all, the U.S. government vaccine contract with Moderna is worth roughly $1.5 billion. BARDA has also invested in producers of other COVID-19 vaccines.

    BARDA was also instrumental in resetting researchers’ expectations for vaccine development, Bloom said. The organization set a goal of developing a vaccine 60 days after determining a pathogen’s DNA sequence. Moderna had a vaccine candidate 66 days after scientists identified its genetic sequence. “And that is a reflection of tremendous foresight by these technical agencies,” Bloom said. By identifying promising research and identifying companies to advance it, the government agencies have played a role in engineering COVID-19 vaccines. But the platform approach could also help fight future pandemics, given its ability to allow researchers to tweak antigens and genes to target a new pathogen.

    The U.S. government’s support of the vaccine platform led to investigations into its use to treat infections from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), influenza, Zika and HIV. “We had a background on these vaccines,” Bloom said. “The companies were pretty confident they would work [for the novel coronavirus], but it will take [trials] to find out how safe and effective for COVID they really are.”


    Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery, Drug Discovery and Development, Infectious Disease

     

    MODERNA FINANCED BY DARPA AND NIH - WHY?

     

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    DARPA’s gambles might have created the best hopes for stopping COVID-19

    BioCentury is providing this story for free given the urgent need for information about the COVID-19 crisis. For more analysis, sign up for our daily email.

    A U.S. defense agency that specializes in turning science fantasies into realities jump-started technologies and nurtured companies that are now at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Defense Research Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) has taken risks where others wouldn’t. Its pursuit of high-risk, high-reward technologies, combined with its mission-driven approach to managing projects is promising to pay off in the fight against COVID-19.

    DARPA was behind the creation of DNA and RNA vaccines, funding early R&D by Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INO) at a time when the technologies were considered speculative by many scientists and investors.

    The military R&D agency believed nucleic acid-base vaccines could be developed much faster than conventional technologies. Its funding, project management and vote of confidence helped de-risk the science and attract investments and partnerships.

    NIH selected Moderna as its partner for COVID-19 vaccine development. This week, an RNA vaccine produced by Moderna became the first COVID-19 candidate vaccine to be administered in a Phase I trial.

    Inovio is on track to start a Phase I trial of an DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in early summer.

    AbCellera Biologics Inc., one of the first companies out of the starting blocks in the race to discover antibody therapies for COVID-19, is using technology

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