ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., July 19, 2011 -- The Army is advancing science in new ways. Scientists as the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center developed a ground-breaking method for identification of biological agents.
"Remember today, July 14, 2011. You are experiencing the beginning of a revolution," said David Chiang, chief executive officer of Sage-N Research, Inc.
Chiang forecasts a bright future for the Agents of Biological Origins Identification, or ABOID, system that researchers developed at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, or ECBC.
Sage-N Research, Inc., a computational pyrometrics company, entered into an exclusive license agreement with ECBC May 27, 2011, with the agreement signed July 14, 2011.
This license allows the integration of ECBC’s ABOID system into Sage-N Research’s existing SORCERER -- proteomics platform, enabling rapid and cost-effective detection and identification of microorganisms.
Researchers designed the ABOID system to test and identify biological agents in circumstances where commanders are unfamiliar with the possible threats that await their Soldiers.
Ali Pervez, vice president of marketing at Sage-N Research, Inc. noted the technology will ultimately have the ability to save thousands of lives by allowing for faster response and corrective measures to be taken against emerging and unknown biological threats.
Currently, the system has a database of 4,500 unique genomes of bacteria, viruses and fungi.
"This cutting-edge technology enables identification of microorganisms down to strain level in minutes, rather than hours," said Charles Wick, former ECBC Senior Scientist who led the ABOID team. "This proves very successful for infectious disease identification and a range of other potential application in military, medical, pharmaceutical, food and public safety areas."
ECBC, a sub-organization of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, is the Army's principal research and development center for chemical and biological defense technology, engineering and services.
ECBC has achieved major technological advances for national defense, civilian needs and industrial competitiveness, with a long and distinguished history for provided the armed forces with quality systems and outstanding customer service.
Related Links:
Army.mil: Science and Technology News
U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command
Social Sharing