Award Data

Aerosols represent one of the more efficient methods to distribute biological and chemical agents throughout the atmosphere. Small aerosol droplets can be readily inhaled and easily penetrate deep into the lungs where they lodge in bronchial alveoli. Within the alveoli, chemical and biological agents can breach epithelial and endothelial cell layers and enter the bloodstream, where they cause da ...

The primary objective of this effort is to design and develop a database management system (DBMS) and enable the integrated interpretation of the vast amounts of genomic and proteomic data in proper biological context. This DBMS will enable the development of diagnostic assays for human exposure to specific biological threat agents using an existing suite of systems biology tools. The DBMS design ...

Biological weapons are among the most serious threats facing the United States defense forces, today. Currently available bioaerosol sampling systems and cassettes require both sample preparation and a well equipped laboratory for analysis. Other detection methods rely on fragile bio-molecules for recognition of the target analyte. These systems are not suitable for onsite analysis. Infrared spec ...

While zero-based tolerance protective clothing is suitable for first responders, it provides an unnecessary level of protection for first receivers who are exposed to a considerably reduced threat. The use of zero-based tolerance garments by first receivers is particularly problematic since they often work in the same garments for an extended period of time. Consequently, the unique needs of fir ...

The overall objective of this Phase II proposal is to determine the advantages of imidazenil over diazepam or midazolam as a potential anticonvulsant agent for the prophylaxis and for the emergency treatment of organophosphate nerve agent exposure. Therefore, we will compare the dose-dependent efficacy and anticonvulsant tolerance liability of imidazenil or midazolam for protecting rats against di ...

Protein manufacturing is of paramount importance to chemical and biological defense applications. High-throughput protein purification is a critical need for rapidly scaling the target protein product. Existing purification methods primarly rely on synthetic-resin based chromatography, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, expensive, and consequently, ill-suited for developing rapid countermea ...

Quick detection of Chemical/Biological (CB) agents in the field can provide critical reconnaissance and contamination avoidance. CB agents pose a serious threat to both civilian and military sectors, and present techniques rely on dangerous collection methods, active measurement through external infrared (IR) sources, and/or are time-consuming. EPIR proposes to provide critically needed improvemen ...

Closed circuit breathing apparatus (CCBA, rebreather systems) where exhaled CO2 is removed and con-sumed oxygen replaced, offer much longer working times on a single gas charge than open circuit ones (SCBA). This is achieved through the use of high pressure compressed oxygen. When CCBA units are used in conflict areas this requires the regular delivery of hazardous cargo (high pressure oxygen, 3 ...

Currently, the U.S. Military encounters many scenarios where soldiers must enter hazardous areas, yet still maintain isolation from chemical and biological contaminants as well as hazardous materials. This requires the soldiers"respiratory tract be isolated from encountering these contaminants. To accomplish this, the soldiers wear protective suits and/or masks which include a respiratory isolatio ...

Safe and efficient air ionization and filtration technology compatible to biodefense applications is of paramount importance. Current ionization methods are energy-intensive, costly, prone to ozone generation, or inefficient, and consequently ill-suited for building protection applications. To overcome these issues, we propose to develop and demonstrate a novel bioaerosol ionization and collection ...