The Department of Energy (DoE) has unveiled an online portal that will help users view resources that may assist in COVID-19 response efforts. The Lab Partnering Service COVID-19 portal enables users to communicate with researchers, explore potential virus response facilities and access patents for licensing, DOE said Thursday.

The online hub was initially deployed in 2018 to assist researchers and various organizations to validate, locate and attain information from the department's national laboratories.

"We are grateful to all of DOE’s 17 National Labs, who have stepped up to facilitate access to their researchers, intellectual property, and facilities during this trying time,” said Dan Brouillette, DOE secretary.

DOE has also launched the COVID-19 Technical Assistance Program, an initiative that seeks to help non-DOE organizations fight COVID-19 through the provision of targeted funding.

President Trump has issued an executive order directing government agencies to accelerate infrastructure investments and exercise legal authorities to “respond to the full dimensions" of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact to the U.S. economy.

The White House on Thursday published the EO mandating agencies and executive departments to use their authorities to return Americans to work while providing “appropriate protection” for public health, natural resources and the environment.

Under the directive, the secretary of transportation must exercise emergency authorities and submit a progress report on expedited projects to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and  assistant to the president for economic policy.

The EO additionally directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to speed up work and completion of civil works projects. USACE may also launch projects in advance, according to the document.

Other directives include the acceleration of infrastructure, environmental and energy-related activities in federal lands under the oversight of the secretaries of defense, agriculture and interior.

“The need for continued progress in this streamlining effort is all the more acute now, due to the ongoing economic crisis,” the EO states. “Unnecessary regulatory delays will deny our citizens opportunities for jobs and economic security, keeping millions of Americans out of work and hindering our economic recovery from the national emergency.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released test performance data from four more serological tests kits from its independent performance validation study effort with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI), the administration reported on Friday. 

"These data are the result of an important cross-government effort," said FDA commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. "There's been incredible teamwork across scientists at the FDA, NCI, CDC and BARDA and I'm glad to be sharing the data with the wider research community. By posting these data publicly, we're advancing not only Americans' access to trustworthy tests, but also the wider field of research into serology testing."

Through the collaboration of FDA, NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the team released the first round of results. 

An intergovernmental team will leverage NCI's capability for the federal government to independently evaluate certain antibody tests, including antibody tests that were not the subject of an EUA or pre-EUA, as well as those that were under FDA review. The FDA has shared data from four additional tests.

The testing was performed at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research to evaluate serological tests. NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided reference samples and materials used in the evaluation. Other contributors include the Mount Sinai Health System, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, members of the Departments of Microbiology and Pathology and the Vitalant Research Institute.

"We're pleased to step up and provide NCI's laboratory capacity and expertise to support this crucial partnership to further our understanding of antibody test performances," said NCI director Norman Sharpless, M.D. "This speaks to the terrific convening power of the federal government and highlights the strength of cross-agency collaboration within the Department of Health and Human Services. NCI will continue to play its part by examining these kits and generating important data that supports FDA's decision-making."

About FDA

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.