Award Data

Organophosphorus chemical warfare nerve agents (OP-CWA) are attractive to terrorist groups and rogue states as an inexpensive and accessible technology for chemical warfare. OP-CWA and organophosphate pesticides cause severe neurological symptoms and death by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE); the resulting excess acetylcholine accumulates and overstimulates the human or animal bo ...

Currently, the United States Army encounters many scenarios where soldiers must enter hazardous areas, yet still maintain isolation from contaminants such as chemical and biological agents as well as hazardous material exposure. This requires that the soldiers respiratory tract be isolated to prevent exposure to these contaminants. In order to accomplish this, the soldiers wear protective suits an ...

Infectious diseases have been a constant cause of non-battlefield injury and illness for military personnel engaged in operations throughout theworld. Detection of these infectious pathogens is critical to proper patient care and management of outbreaks, yet many existing diagnostic testsfail to provide adequate sensitivity and/or simplicity for use in forward locations or in isolated areas. We pr ...

The objective of the proposed Phase II project is to develop a hand-held, rapid plasmonic biosensor -- a detector based upon surfaceplasmon resonances (SPR) that incorporates a new class of supercharged proteins that functionalize a low-cost, disposable plasmonicchip. Each protein is designed to bind to a pre-determined toxin with high specificity. Upon successful binding, the protein superfoldsre ...

Currently, the accepted standard experimental model for measuring protective efficacy against botulism is the Mouse Lethality Neutralization (MLN) assay. Botulism poisoning is a life threatening condition that is not only a public health concern, but could also be a potential biological weapon. With seven serotypes of botulinum neurotoxins, there is need for an alternative to the MLN assay due t ...

We propose a metamaterial-enhanced microbolometer with strong absorption over a narrow band that is dynamically tunable over the 8-10 micron band. A single-layer photonic metamaterial consisting of a thin metal film perforated with a 2-D array of dielectric apertures will be deposited on an amorphous-Silicon layer acting as an absorber and bolometer. The metamaterial, in conjunction with planar di ...

Identification of organophosphates (OPs) based nerve agents, is vital to the protection of U.S. armed forces personnel. Existing detection methods use bulky and expensive laboratory equipment, negating their battlefield use. Colorimetric indicators such as the currently deployed M8 and M9 detection papers are the fastest, cheapest, and easiest type of detector to use; however, these cannot detect ...

Luna Innovations is addressing the need to develop novel fluid repellent textile treatments for military uniforms that will actively decontaminate chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWA).There have been recent significant advances in textile treatments that have demonstrated water, oil and chemical agent resistance that are superior to Quarpel repellent treatments currently used on protectiv ...

VEEV/EEV/WWEEV are highly pathogenic alphaviruses that cause encephalitis in humans and equids. These infections are endemic in wide regions of the developing world. Translational research regarding these pathogens is focused on developing new strategies to detect, treat and ideally protect humans and animals from these infections. In this Phase I SBIR project, we will establish methodologies for ...