Biology for Security (BIOSEC)
Abstract
Based on initial research conducted under the Biological Robustness in Complex Settings (BRICS) program, the Biology for Security (BIOSEC) program seeks to investigate novel approaches to address the DoD need for rapid detection of unknown and/or emerging biological threats from state actors or violent extremist organizations (VEOs). This program will investigate approaches for identifying pathogens based on specific behaviors, or phenotypes, such as niche finding or cell toxicity. Unlike current methods, which rely on a priori knowledge of the pathogen and cannot detect or otherwise analyze unknown threats, this approach will handle scenarios involving engineered or undiscovered bacterial pathogens that do not have known hallmarks. Advances in this area will produce a completely new capability to assess the emergence of pathogens and to detect pathogens that have been specifically engineered to evade detection by traditional methods. Resulting systems may be used to alert deployed military personnel operating around the world to new biothreats, or in response to a U.S.-based discovery, outbreak, or pandemic.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2021
- Source ID
- 6e7f363e991da0207ea61288dfa919d2