Biological Defense Research Program

Even though the United States stopped all offensive biological warfare research in 1969, the Biological Defense Research Program must remain strong... 

While some of the military s biological defense programs remain classified, based on worldwide threats and uncertainties, the medical Biological Defense Research Program is unclassified and continues to be an invaluable resource for the nation. 

Biological Defense Research Program through Microfluidic Systems Inc. is creating microfluidic-based devices for a rapid detection system for pathogens that can concentrate and identify viruses, bacteria and other air- or waterborne toxins in less than 5 min. The system depends on the air or liquid flow across a series of deep etched pillars, 5 ftm tall and 150 (xm in diameter to capture DNA, proteins or cells and elute into 50 (xl fractions. 

The Soldier Biological and Chemical Defense Command (SBCCOM) is located at the Edgewood Arsenal (Aberdeen Proving Gronnd) in rural Maryland, north of Baltimore. The SBCCOM is the Army s principal research and development center for chemical and biological defense technology and has an extensive complement of skilled professionals in this field. This program could easily be expanded for civilian defense needs. 

Our initial expectations were that we would interview far more FDA officials than we did. However, we ended up interviewing more DoD officials, at all levels of policy and operations. Officials were interviewed in the following DoD offices Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) J-4 Eogistics Directorate Office of the ASD(HA) JPO-BD the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs U.S. Army Soldier Biological and Chemical Command U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity and U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases... 

Two research programs (science and technology base) remain under USAMRMC, one for medical chemical defense and the other for medical biological defense. USAMRMC exercises its responsibility for these programs through the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense for chemical warfare defense and USAMRllD for biological warfare defense (Parker interview, 2001). 

US Army (2002). Chemical and Biological Warfare Agent Fate Research Program. Department of Def The Pentagon, Arlington, VA Joint Science and Technology Panel for Chemical and Biological Defense. 

The authors thank Vera Rosenbush for useM discussions. This work was partially supported by INTAS grant 2000-0792, the TechBase Program on Chemical and Biological Defense, and by the Battlefield Environment Directorate under the auspices of the U.S. Army Research Office Scientific Services Program administered by Battelle (Dehveiy Order 291, Contract. No. DAAD19-02-D-0001). 

GV acknowledges support from the TechBase Program of Chemical and Biological Defense. KM is grateful for the Academy of Finland for partial support of his research. 

A COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE PROGRAM Safety in Research and Patient Care A National Resource... 

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