SAB NewsScience Advisory Board Director Presented Biodefense Research InsightsPosted 3/8/2005 Tamara Zemlo, Ph.D., MPH, Executive Director of The Science Advisory Board, highlighted biodefense research opportunities at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Biodefense Meeting. The presentation, “Biodefense Research: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities,” occured on March 21, 2005 in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Zemlo greatly enjoyed discussing the report's findings with conference attendees and meeting SAB Members face-to-face.  In the coming years, billions of dollars will be spent on understanding the pathogens that can be employed as biological weapons and on developing new diagnostics and therapeutics to respond to future attacks. Early detection and identification of these pathogens are critical to limiting the potentially catastrophic human and economic consequences of a bioterrorist attack. In order to provide guidance on how this investment can best be managed, over 500 scientists on The Science Advisory Board--representing academic, government and industrial lab--participated in a detailed study to identify key tools and techniques employed in biodefense research. Findings will be presented that outline the technical obstacles these researchers face and the technological developments they need to advance their work.  Researchers require access to large amounts of genomic and related data to facilitate the identification of potential targets for the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Hence databases and bioinformatics tools that will enable researchers to conduct comparative analysis of genomes and allow for the identification of genetic polymorphisms, i.e., DNA-based signatures, which correlate with phenotypes such as pathogenicity, drug resistance, morbidity, and infectivity are urgently needed. Products to support proteomics approaches will also be required as protein signatures represent the other major approach to pathogen detection. Products that support the separation, identification, and characterization of the proteins present in tissue or other biological samples will assist researchers in developing faster and more effective detection assays and devices that are a top government priority. “Encouragingly for scientists hoping to enter the biodefense arena, this study reveals that researchers are using the products of their existing life science suppliers,” asserts Zemlo, “And when necessary, researchers can easily adapt these products to fit new, biodefense applications.” A large majority of biodefense researchers state that they find it very easy to adapt life science products NOT specifically designed for biodefense applications for use in their biodefense research. ### Please send Dr. Zemlo an email if you are planning on attending a conference in the DC metro area so that she can arrange to meet you and take you to lunch or dinner! |
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