U.S. Joint Forces are deployed and stationed across the world in various climates, terrains, and situations. They need to be prepared to protect themselves against any threat in any environment to maintain their lethality and ability to accomplish their mission. To support that preparation, the Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense’s (CPE CBRND) Joint Project Lead for CBRN Enabling Technologies (JPL CBRN ET) has a systems-of-systems medical readiness and response approach where CBRN data and information is leveraged across multiple projects to inform and refine current efforts to develop countermeasures (prophylactic and therapeutic) to enhance warfighter performance.
Recently, the JPL CBRN ET put this approach into action to prepare for a response to an emerging international outbreak. JPL CBRN ET obtained viral genomic sequence data through its Targeted Acquisition of Reference Materials Augmenting Capabilities (TARMAC) Program. TARMAC allows JPL CBRN ET to partner with several international laboratories to share key information and data regarding new and emerging biological threats in those geographical locations. Biological threat data like this is stored in a database maintained by JPL CBRN ET, who also ensures access for the CBRN defense community.
The first use case for the data was to evaluate the effectiveness of JPL CBRN ET’s fielded products: biological assays and reagents provided to warfighters and responders to detect and identify biological threats. JPL CBRN ET assessed its currently available products against this new data to determine if it can detect the new threat. This information gives the team the chance to modify current products if needed and increase confidence in products currently in the field.
“To address this recent outbreak, our partnership allowed us to obtain genomic data faster and to accession it to the database for use by the broader community. While it’s important to store the information, it’s even more important to get the information into the hands of the people that can do other medical countermeasure analysis,” said Jeffrey Biggans, deputy director, Defense Biological Product Assurance Office, JPL CBRN ET.
To illustrate that point, the Accelerated Antibodies Enhanced Biodefense monoclonal antibody (mAb) program (AA-ENBD) within JPL CBRN ET used the data to assess the effectiveness of existing mAb product. AA-ENBD is a program focused on generating a strategic reserve of mAbs to bolster the nation’s medical readiness response posture. The data informed current efforts within the program to ensure that mAbs in development can protect against the new virus or strain of concern.
“The process of using data to inform current projects while storing the information for future needs is foundational to having a strong and agile biological and chemical defense capability. JPL CBRN ET was able to identify, obtain and apply the data in a few days, demonstrating speed to action in the event of an emergency,” said Phill Harman, director of advanced platform technologies, JPL CBRN ET.
In the future, JPL CBRN ET will expand its chemical and biological defense capability through a database called Rapid Access to Products in Development (RAPID). RAPID is another JPL CBRN ET-led database that will allow the Department of War’s Chemical and Biological Defense Program enterprise to see which medical countermeasure products are currently in development, their current stage of development, and possible uses under an Expanded Access Protocol.
“RAPID partners with programs like TARMAC and AA-ENBD, gives us the information to improve how we support the warfighter and allow us to take quick action in the face of emergency—both to prepare and to prevent an emergency,” said Harman.