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U.S. Senate bill to aid nuclear weapon detection
Index:
U.S. Senate bill to aid nuclear weapon detection
Greenpeace official opposes shipping MOX fuel to Britain
Delta Shuttle Welcomes Children of Chernobyl to the United States
FDA Grants TransMolecular Orphan Drug Designation for 131I-TM-601
==================================
U.S. Senate bill to aid nuclear weapon detection
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation aimed at preventing terrorists
from smuggling a nuclear weapon into the United States was introduced
in the Senate Thursday by lawmakers who say current detection
capability at ports and borders is virtually zero.
The legislation would provide more than 100 new mobile X-ray scanning
devices, $250 million to develop technology to detect nuclear
materials, order more cargo inspections and stricter cargo reporting
standards, and impose bigger penalties for unreported cargo,
"Right now, our ability to detect nuclear weapons brought in through
our ports, bridges and tunnels is virtually zero," said Democratic
Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, a co-sponsor of the legislation.
"Once terrorists can get that kind of weapon right into the heart of
our cities, God only knows what could happen," he added.
The United States handles over 2 billion tons a year of domestic and
international freight, which is moved mostly in containers, but only
about 2 percent is inspected.
"Homeland security is the nation's top priority, and defending our
nation's 361 ports is essential," said Republican Sen. John Warner of
Virginia, the bill's other co-sponsor.
The legislation also calls for smart sensors that can track a cargo
container to determine whether anything has been added or changed
over the course of the trip.
Since the Sept. 11 hijack attacks, fears have grown that radical
groups could acquire nuclear materials to make dirty bombs, crude
devices using conventional explosives to spread radioactive material.
Two weeks ago, Attorney General John Ashcroft said U.S. authorities
foiled a plot to explode a dirty bomb in the United States after
arresting a suspected American al Qaeda operative in Chicago
allegedly helping plan such an attack.
------------------
Greenpeace official opposes shipping MOX fuel to Britain
TSURUGA, Japan, June 28 (Kyodo) - A top official in charge of nuclear
problems of the international environmental group Greenpeace said
Thursday in Fukui Prefecture Greenpeace will oppose the planned
shipping of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel from Japan to
Britain for security reasons.
Speaking inside Arctic Sunrise, a surveillance ship moored at a port
in Tsuruga on the Sea of Japan coast, Tom Clements said the return of
the fuel, currently stored at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s nuclear
plant in Takahama in the prefecture, to Britain by sea could entail
dangers such as terrorist attacks.
The fuel is being returned to Britain under a July 2000 agreement
between the Japanese and British governments stipulating British
Nuclear Fuels PLC would ship the fuel back at its own expense after
it was learned the company falsified manufacturing data for MOX fuel
shipped to Kansai Electric Power in 1999.
The revelation and ensuing scandal led Japan to indefinitely postpone
its plans to introduce MOX fuel and increased public opposition to
the ''pluthermal'' -- plutonium thermal -- energy plan.
Clements said, however, if the return of the fuel from Takahama goes
through, it would pave the way for the plan to be materialized.
Two ships are expected to leave for Britain with the MOX fuel at the
beginning of July.
According to Greenpeace, it and antinuclear organizations in the
prefecture will stage a joint protest against such transport on the
day of the ships' departure.
The project, in which MOX fuel is used in light-water reactors, is
the core of Japan's nuclear fuel recycling programs.
The Japanese government aims to have the pluthermal project launched
at 16-18 reactors by 2010, but plans have so far been foiled by
opposition from local residents in areas where the reactors are
located.
------------------
Delta Shuttle Welcomes Children of Chernobyl to the United States
BOSTON, June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Shuttle today will
carry approximately 125 Russian children from New York to Boston in
support of the Chernobyl Children Project USA.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Delta Shuttle will transport the
eight to 15-year old children, their physicians and translators from
New York to Boston for a four-week stay with local "host" families.
During their visit, the kids will receive free medical treatment for
their radiation-related illnesses and participate in fun activities
sponsored by area clubs and organizations.
"Delta Shuttle is proud to help make a difference in the lives of
these children," said Maureen Brady, managing director -- Delta
Shuttle and Delta Express. "Each year we are delighted to return
them to the caring environment the Boston community provides."
Delta Shuttle will fly the children and their chaperones back to New
York on July 25, 2002.
The Chernobyl Children Project USA, Inc. is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit
organization that provides respite and relief to the children
affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Now in its
eighth year, the Chernobyl Children Project, USA has brought over 900
children to Boston with medical attention provided by the New England
Medical Center -- The Floating Hospital for Children. For more
information about the Chernobyl Children Project, USA, visit
ccpusa.org.
-----------------
FDA Grants TransMolecular Orphan Drug Designation for 131I-TM-601 for
Use by Glioma Patients
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMolecular, Inc. today
announced that it has received Orphan Drug Designation
from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Investigational
New Drug, 131I-TM-601, to treat patients suffering from glioma, one
of the most deadly forms of brain cancer.
131I-TM-601 is a radiopharmaceutical anti-cancer drug containing a
synthetic version of a substance derived from scorpions called
chlorotoxin. The Food and Drug Administration approved
TransMolecular's IND application to begin a Phase I/II clinical study
of the
drug in humans in January 2002.
Last week, TransMolecular announced the start of a multi-center
clinical study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a single
dose
of 131I-TM-601, as well as overall tumor response rate in an initial
study group of 18 patients. In pre-clinical studies, TransMolecular
scientists determined that 131I-TM-601 was able to extend survival in
a mouse model that mimicked human brain tumors.
"We are extremely pleased by the FDA's action in granting orphan drug
designation for 131I-TM-601, an important step in bringing
this drug to market," says Matthew A. Gonda, Ph.D., TransMolecular
president and CEO. "Therapeutic options for glioma patients
are rather limited. Orphan drug designation could greatly assist us
in the clinical development and marketing of our new drug
candidate for patients suffering from this devastating and deadly
disease."
TM-601 is based on chlorotoxin sequences that have evolved to
precisely locate and bind to their receptor, which is abnormally
expressed on tumor cells, but is not expressed on normal cells. The
chlorotoxin sequences in 131I-TM-601 are the guidance
system that delivers 131I, the radioactive therapeutic payload, to
its target, precisely killing the tumor cells. No toxicities have
been
observed with TM-601 administration in pre-clinical animal studies.
The Orphan Drug Designation is provided exclusively for products that
treat a disease affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the
U.S., to encourage research and testing. The scientific rationale
for use of the compound in treating the disease must also pass
FDA review. Potential benefits from orphan drug designation include
seven years of market exclusivity upon marketing approval, tax
credits for related clinical research expenses, the availability of
grant assistance, and clinical development assistance from the FDA.
Glioma is highly invasive, sending cancerous cells throughout the
brain and spinal cord. Surgical techniques fail to eradicate the
tumor and other adjuvant therapies are inadequate. Brain cancers are
among the most difficult and expensive cancers to treat. About
36,000 primary brain tumors are reported in the U.S. each year; of
these, more than 17,000 are diagnosed with high-grade gliomas. About
half of these patients die within the first year, according to the
American Cancer Society. There is a need for safe, more effective
treatments for glioma.
-------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Director, Technical
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
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