A Medical Device Daily

TVI (Glenn Dale, Maryland), a global supplier of rapidly deployable first receiver and first responder systems for homeland security, hospitals, the military, police and fire departments, and public health agencies, said it was selected as one of the two decontamination system providers for the Department of Defense (DoD) Guardian Installation Protection Program.

The initial purchase for the multi-year program is for $490,000.

“The Guardian Installation Protection Program provides emergency and first responders/receivers on military bases with the equipment needed to handle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards,” said Richard Priddy, president/CEO of TVI. “After careful evaluation, the DoD selected TVI's decontamination systems to strengthen the effectiveness of its emergency response systems, and provide complete CBRN protection at defense installations throughout the country.”

In other grants/contracts news:

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (both Bethesda, Maryland), has awarded a peer-reviewed follow-on to a Phase II grant to Cyto Pulse Sciences (Glen Burnie, Maryland) to commercialize the development of the Easy Vax DNA vaccine delivery system.

The total amount of the award is about $2 million for the 24-month project. This award follows a $1.8 million effort to solve a number of technical challenges in physics and biology.

The new effort is expected to develop a pilot manufacturing system for the device, evaluate the perceived sensation of the delivery system by humans, complete the engineering of the dengue DNA vaccine, test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and validate the vaccine and delivery system.

The goal of the complete project is to produce a safe, effective and easy-to-use polynucleotide vaccine delivery system that can be used against biodefense pathogens. The system may also provide effective future vaccine delivery for some cancers and some diseases prevalent in the Third World.

Transmitted by mosquitoes, dengue fever is a viral disease found in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world. On its web sites, the CDC calls it the most important arboviral (mosquito or tick-borne) disease of humans. It is estimated that there are over 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.

The vaccine delivery system uses an array of hundreds of small needles, each one coated with the DNA vaccine. An electric field allows the DNA to enter immune system cells in the skin, specifically the dendritic cells involved in immune system response.

• Medical Staffing Solutions (Vienna, Virginia), a provider of medical personnel, technology services and homeland security products to government and commercial clients, said that its client, Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, has exercised an additional option year with MSSI through its wholly owned subsidiary, TeleScience International.

Under this specific contract option year renewal, the company will provide dental assistant services to the air force base. MSSI presently and historically has provided these services to Cannon Air Force Base.

Dr. B.B. Sahay, Medical Staffing Solutions chairman/ CEO, said, “Renewal and contract award season is fast-approaching with the government fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. We have several contract bids in the pipeline and are anxious to see the results of our efforts. Any such option year renewals are positive signs reflecting the solidarity of our services.”

In operation since 1992, MSSI-TeleScience International is a provider of long-term medical personnel, homeland security and technology services to federal, state and local government agencies and to the private sector.