ASU to develop novel diagnostic technology for US DoD

The US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Threat Reduction Agency has awarded a contract to Arizona State University (ASU) to develop a novel diagnostic technology, known as immunosignaturing for rapid detection of exposure to infectious disease agents before symptoms occur.

The four-year contract is valued over $30.7m and has 12-month base period of performance valued at $9m as well as one option period, valued $21m, with 36-month period of performance.

ASU Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative chief scientist George Poste said that early detection enables rapid deployment of treatment and implementation of infection control measures to save lives while limiting further spread.

Under the contract, AUS will develop a silicon-chip based technology to protect military personnel against bioterrorism.

The technology will be capable of identifying broad range of infectious organisms based on body triggering to produce highly specific antibodies and the immunosignature profiling is expected to be a major advance in rapid detection of infectious and other disease in conventional medical settings.

The programme will be led by ASU’s Biodesign Institute Center for Innovations in Medicine co-director Stephen Albert Johnston and will be directed by Johnston with co-principal investigators Poste and Neal Woodbury co-director of the Center for Innovations in Medicine.