Government seeks next-generation biosensors

The Department of Homeland Security's Advanced Research Project Agency (HSARPA) has issued its first call for proposals to develop next-generation systems for detecting potential biological and chemical attacks. A bidders meeting Monday (September 29) drew a standing room crowd of some 400 university and industry representatives in Washington, D.C., eager to learn how the new agency plans to award upwards of $350 million in contracts this coming year. "This is our first solicitation," said HSARPA Director David F. Bolka. "We are looking for generational change to meet the threats. We know some of these goals are technically challenging. We want you to give us your best effort."HSARPA is seeking proposals to develop, field test, and commercialize sensors capable of detecting a wide range of biological and chemical agents in the open air as well as inside buildings. The systems should operate continuously, be fully autonomous, and be able to identify and signal alerts for a minimum of 20 bioterror agents and "a large range" of toxic chemicals. The detectors must also be highly accurate, reliable, low maintenance, modest in size, and affordable. "We should not launch long-range research programs that will get us answers several years out; we need solutions now to show the American people and ourselves that science and technology can make a difference in the protection of our country," Charles E. McQueary, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undersecretary for Science and Technology, told reporters later. "I'm confident we can do that," he added.The House and Senate appropriations conference report for fiscal year 2004, which begins October 1, would give HSARPA $350 million across several funding categories, including $198.5 million for biological countermeasures and about $52 million for chemical countermeasures. Funding for developing the detectors is included in these amounts, but actual procurement and production costs would come from the budgets of the various federal, state, and local agencies that purchase the units.HSARPA's solicitation, officially called Research Announcement 03-01: "Detection Systems for Biological and Chemical Countermeasures (DSBCC)," describes two systems for biological countermeasures and three for chemical countermeasures.The first biological system, called Bioagent Autonomous Networked Detectors (BANDs), would be installed throughout various cities, continuously monitoring outdoor air. Every 3 hours or less, BAND units would extract and analyze aerosol particulates for at least 20 of the most common bioterror agents, including pathogens causing anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia, Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers, typhus, encephalitis, and others. "We'll be working on the more common pathogens and will work our way down the list" of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention category A and B potential bioterrorism agents, said McQueary. Each unit should cost no more than $25,000 to build and $10,000 per year to operate and maintain.The second biological system, called the Rapid Automated Biological Identification System, would be installed inside a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and could detect bioagents and toxins within 2 minutes—quickly enough to minimize human exposure. Each unit should cost no more than $50,000 to build and $20,000 per year to operate and maintain.The chemical countermeasures area seeks plans for an Autonomous Rapid Facility Chemical Agent Monitor to continuously monitor outdoor air for up to 20 different toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents with no more than one false positive per year. These units should cost less than $1000 each and require about $50 per year to operate.A handheld Lightweight Autonomous Chemical Identification System, to be used by first responders, could detect traditional chemical warfare agents with false negatives of less than one in 1000. These battery-powered units, which would each cost $2000 or less, would help rescue workers determine if an area has been contaminated and whether protective gear is needed. "Affordability is key," Bolka said. "Hopefully, most of what we offer our first responders will sit on the shelf for 99.999 percent of the time. Therefore, they can't be terribly expensive to obtain and maintain. You tell us the cost. You tell us what the solicitation is worth. This is one of our highest priorities," he said.The third chemical project is a Portable High-throughput Integrated Laboratory Identification System. This self-contained delivery van–sized mobile unit would be driven to suspected contamination sites. It would contain equipment to analyze, prepare, and report on at least 1000 vapor, liquid, solid, and mixed state samples per day. "We have specified an ambitious set of performance requirements," Bolka said of the proposals. "We don't expect they all will be satisfied. We are interested in seeing how many industry can do. We intend to fund several proposals. How many, we won't know until we see the costs." Requests for proposals for radiologic, nuclear, and explosive countermeasures will be issued in the near future, Bolka added.DHS also plans to select at least one university Center of Excellence by the end of November, said Mel Bernstein, director of university programs in the Science and Technology division. The academic center will serve as a focal point for university research that supports HSARPA and other DHS areas. Some 72 universities applied, Bernstein said, and the choices were narrowed to three finalists. Up to eight universities will be selected in the coming years, he said.

Government seeks next-generation biosensors

Homeland Security Department issues its first request for proposals

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