Award Data

Historically organophosphorus compounds such as insecticides and nerve agents have been susceptible to decomposition by proteinaceous enzymes. Organophosphate hydrolases (OPH) represent a practical method to deactivate such compounds peripherally and on surfaces. However, when such organophosphates are ingested, the use of proteinaceous enzymes such as OPH can be problematic because of their tende ...

Given the possibility to administer prophylactic doses of protein bioscavengers inactivating OP nerve agents before they reach their acetylcholinesterase target, much attention has been given to proteins such as human butyrylcholinesterase and paraoxonase I. As small nucleic acid catalysts can exhibit triphosphoesterase activities, the identification of new molecules active against nerve agents w ...

Shelter enclosures for military working dogs in the event of a CB attack is a technology gap identified by the Joint Requirements Office. Important parameters to consider in the design of protective enclosures include low weight and size to minimize transport requirements; rapid setup; and accommodation of canine physiological and psychological comfort needs. The overall operational weight of th ...

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy and broad applicability of the human immune-modulating alphaGal Adjuvant Technology for antiviral vaccine development. We will use viral vaccine candidates for the select Category A viral pathogens Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV, filovirus), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV, bunyavirus), and Lassa virus (LV, arenavirus), to evaluate the adjuvant pot ...

We propose to develop a novel reagent for nucleic acid isolation. If successfully developed, this reagent will be appropriate for use in nucleic acids isolation from a variety of sample types, including environmental samples. The most advantageous characteristic of this reagent is its specific binding to nucleic acids as opposed to adsorption to solid phase, which is currently used for nucleic aci ...

Sample preparation has been recognized as the single most important challenge to be faced in the development of detect-to-warn (DTW) systems (NRC, 2005). Available commercial sample preparation technologies are expensive, slow (30 min to 2 hours) and require trained laboratory technicians for operation. Addressing this need, we propose to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a novel integrated micro ...

Colloidal suspensions of quantum dots (QD) offer a novel, inexpensive means of biological-warfare-agent (BWA) detection using compact lightweight systems that may be deployed in a variety of ways, including handheld biosensors. We propose here to design, fabricate and test portable, lightweight, user-friendly, low-logistical-load biosensors capable of automated and rapid BWA detection with high se ...

The largest border in the United States is not the boundary between the US and Canada or the US and Mexico, but the coastlines. Maintaining security of our territorial waters is essential in the face of an increasingly hostile world. Current maritime security strategy rests on four pillars; awareness, prevention, protection, and, response. Of these, awareness is arguably the most important; howeve ...

One of the fundamental goals of computer security is to ensure the integrity of system resources. Because all user applications rely on the integrity of the kernel and core system utilities, the compromise of any one part of the system can result in a complete lack of reliability in the system as a whole. Particularly in the case of commodity operating systems, the ability to place assurance on th ...

Recent trends in law enforcement clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the taser to debilitate even the toughest targets, without causing permanent injury or lingering aftereffects. Current electric stun technology is either hand-held or short-range and tethered to the launch platform. The law enforcement agencies would greatly benefit from a longer range (6 to 40 meters), non-tethered electric ...