Erica Schwartz is one step away from becoming the next director of the U.S. CDC. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 13-10 July 30 to favorably report her nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation. The committee also favorably reported the nomination of Sean Kaufman, on a party line vote of 12-11, to be the assistant secretary for preparedness and response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Researchers from the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center and their collaborators recently published a paper in Science Advances on Aug. 27, 2025, about synthetic carbohydrate receptors (SCRs) and their potential as broad-spectrum antivirals by targeting the viral envelope N-glycans. They described the antiviral activity of a series of tetrapodal SCRs both in vitro and in vivo, showing their potential as broad-spectrum inhibitors of viral infection.

The COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into a tailspin, raising ongoing concerns about biosecurity, a subject that encompassed the better part of the morning June 16, the first day of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s annual conference in Boston.

Compared to other forms of prevention, a unique issue for pandemic preparedness is that it is forever unclear what pathogen, exactly, the world needs to be prepared for. There are an estimated 300,000 viruses that infect mammals; add in birds, and the estimate grows to more than half a million. Some of those viruses are much greater threats than others.

Compared to other forms of prevention, a unique issue for pandemic preparedness is that it is forever unclear what pathogen, exactly, the world needs to be prepared for. There are an estimated 300,000 viruses that infect mammals; add in birds, and the estimate grows to more than half a million. Some of those viruses are much greater threats than others.

Compared to other forms of prevention, a unique issue for pandemic preparedness is that it is forever unclear what pathogen, exactly, the world needs to be prepared for. There are an estimated 300,000 viruses that infect mammals; add in birds, and the estimate grows to more than half a million. Some of those viruses are much greater threats than others.

CEPI is partnering with Astrazeneca plc to advance VHH-based multispecific antibodies targeting influenza, while Harbour Biomed Ltd. has entered into a global strategic collaboration with Astrazeneca to discover and develop next-generation multispecific antibodies for immunology, oncology and other diseases.

The U.S. FDA’s January 2025 draft guidance for test validation in public health emergencies drew only six responses, but pointed responses they were, indeed. As an example, the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) said the draft’s recommendation for the use of 30 positive and 30 negative (30/30) samples for validation of lab-developed tests is likely to hamper test availability in an emergent situation, a time when samples are likely to be difficult to obtain.

First, the good news about pandemics – and in 2024, there was big “good news.” Science Magazine named lenacapavir (Gilead Sciences Inc.) as the Breakthrough of the Year. In two separate trials, lenacapavir prevented HIV transmission with 100% efficacy in cisgender African women and 99.9% efficacy in men and gender-diverse persons when administered twice a year.