Last week a fire broke out at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, which houses the US Air Force 18th Wing. 

The fire began in a hazarous materials storage factility just south of the airfield and burned for around 5 hours before being extinguished. Thick billowing clouds of smoke could be seen eminating from the area as firefighters tried to control the blaze, and authorities evacuated an area 500 feet upwind and 2,000 feet downwind of the site. 

After the fire was extinguished authorites announced that the fire had released chlorine gas particles, and US military media reported later in the day that at least 45 people were treated for exposure to smoke and chlorine. Those suffering from shortness of breath or coughing, irritation, and runny nose, were urged to consult well a doctor. Meanwhile, Kadena’s medical group canceled all routine appointments, apparently bracing for further treatment of those affected.

Ology Bioservices Inc., a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced today it has been awarded a contract to advance development of a cocktail of anti-botulinum neurotoxin monoclonal antibodies (mAb) by the Department of Defense (DOD) through the Joint Science and Technology Office of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND). The contract ceiling value is $42.6 million.

In this program, Ology Bioservices will execute a randomized, double-blinded Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial of a cocktail of mAb against botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A and B. In addition, the company will further refine the manufacturing process for the mAb as well as conduct nonclinical studies to support advanced development of the product. The candidate was originally developed by Xoma Corporation and later acquired by Ology Bioservices. Ology Bioservices successfully transferred the technology and manufactured this candidate therapeutic for the DOD under a previous contract awarded in 2017.

“This contract is an important milestone for both Ology Bioservices and the DOD” said Peter H. Khoury, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Ology Bioservices. “Monoclonal antibodies represent an important, innovative option in medical countermeasure development, allowing the DOD to more effectively layer CBRN defense. We are excited to bring this next generation of countermeasure to the clinic.”

 INOVIO today announced it has received $71 million funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to support the large-scale manufacture of the company's proprietary CELLECTRA^® 3PSP smart device and the procurement of CELLECTRA^® 2000 devices, which are used to deliver INO-4800 directly into the skin.

CELLECTRA^® 3PSP is designed to deliver INO-4800 directly into the skin, where the vaccine prompts the body's immune system to drive a robust immune response. Interim results of U.S. Phase 1 clinical studies of INO-4800 will be available later this month. A Phase 2/3 efficacy trial is planned to begin this summer (July/August).

The DoD contract, from the JPEO-CRBND-EB through funding provided by the Defense Health Program, builds upon two separate prior $5 million grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to accelerate the testing of CELLECTRA^® 3PSP. Initial development of this next generation CELLECTRA^® 3PSP smart device began in 2019 with $8.1 million in funding from the medical arm of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Medical CBRN Defense Consortium.

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, INOVIO's President and CEO, said, "INOVIO is very pleased to receive this significant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue our rapid scale-up capacity for our breakthrough DNA medicines delivery device CELLECTRA^®. We look forward to working closely with DoD, JPEO-CBRND and JPL-CBRND-EB to provide much needed protection to DoD personnel and their families through development of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19. This next generation smart device leverages the efficacy delivery and safety track record of an earlier version that has received CE mark certification and has been used in clinical trials to safely dose more than 2,000 patients in over 7,000 administrations of INOVIO's DNA medicines. The current DoD contract further supports INOVIO's large-scale production of devices and arrays to deliver potentially hundreds of millions of doses of INO-4800 next year to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic."

CELLECTRA^® 3PSP is a small, portable, hand-held, user-friendly device that runs on "AA" batteries. The device is designed to function reliably in challenging environments and can be stockpiled in large quantities without maintenance, characteristics that are critical in a pandemic situation. INOVIO's San Diego device manufacturing facility has produced initial quantities of the device, while also showing that the design and scale-up of the manufacturing processes can be transferred to contract manufacturers in order to further increase supply.

About the JPEO-CBRND

The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense is the Joint Service's lead for development, acquisition, fielding and life-cycle support of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense equipment and medical countermeasures. As an effective acquisition program, we put capable and supportable systems in the hands of the service members and first responders, when and where it is needed, at an affordable price. Our vision is a resilient Joint Force enabled to fight and win unencumbered by a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear environment; championed by innovative and state-of-the-art solutions. JPL-CBRND Enabling Biotechnologies (EB) is an organization established for the purpose of providing medical solutions, during a crisis, against future threats.

About INO-4800

INO-4800 is INOVIO's DNA vaccine candidate being developed to protect against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. INO-4800 was designed using INOVIO's proprietary DNA medicine platform rapidly after the publication of the genetic sequence of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. INOVIO has extensive experience working with coronaviruses and is the only company with a vaccine in Phase 2 development for a related coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

INO-4800 is the only nucleic-acid based vaccine that is stable at room temperature for more than a year and does not require to be frozen in transport or storage, which are important factors when implementing mass immunizations.

About INOVIO's DNA Medicines Platform

INOVIO has 15 DNA medicine clinical programs currently in development focused on HPV-associated diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases, including coronaviruses associated with MERS and COVID-19 diseases being developed under grants from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the DoD. DNA medicines are composed of optimized DNA plasmids, which are small circles of double-stranded DNA that are synthesized or reorganized by a computer sequencing technology and designed to produce a specific immune response in the body.

INOVIO's DNA medicines deliver optimized plasmids directly into cells intradermally or intramuscularly using INOVIO's proprietary hand-held smart device called CELLECTRA^®. The CELLECTRA device uses a brief electrical pulse to reversibly open small pores in the cell to allow the plasmids to enter, overcoming a key limitation of other DNA and other nucleic acid approaches, such as mRNA. Once inside the cell, the DNA plasmids enable the cell to produce the targeted antigen. The antigen is processed naturally in the cell and triggers the desired T cell and antibody-mediated immune responses. Administration with the CELLECTRA device is designed to ensure that the DNA medicine is efficiently delivered directly into the body's cells, where it can go to work to drive an immune response. INOVIO's DNA medicines do not interfere with or change in any way an individual's own DNA. The advantages of INOVIO's DNA medicine platform are how fast DNA medicines can be designed and manufactured, the stability of the products which do not require freezing in storage and transport, and the robust immune response, safety profile, and tolerability that have been demonstrated in clinical trials.

With more than 2,000 patients receiving INOVIO investigational DNA medicines in more than 7,000 applications across a range of clinical trials, INOVIO has a strong track record of rapidly generating DNA medicine candidates with potential to meet urgent global health needs.

Jason Kang, Katherine Jin and Kevin Tyan Columbia University (New York, N.Y.) $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Undergraduate Winners.

The Challenge: Outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, including Ebola in West Africa and MERS in the Middle East, occur on an annual basis, and thousands of healthcare workers (HCWs) risk their lives to save the lives of others. HCWs are especially vulnerable to infection due to their close proximity to disease and are the highest risk group for infection. Currently, most disinfectants are transparent in color and it is easy to miss spots when spraying. Solutions on the market today also bead up and roll off of waterproof surfaces like personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for HCWs, often leaving gaps in coverage. The consequences of employing ineffective decontamination practices were especially evident during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. More than 881 HCWs were infected with Ebola as a result of improper disinfection, of whom 513 died, constituting 4.5 percent of all fatalities. There is a critical need to optimize the process of decontamination and prevent HCW infections.

The Solution: Highlight, a powdered additive that is mixed into disinfectant solutions at point-of-use. Highlight comes in individual bottles that can treat one gallon of disinfectant, and costs approximately $1 per unit. Highlight-enhanced disinfectants are colorized and highly visible. Highlight can fully cover surfaces to eliminate gaps in coverage and reduce the rate of evaporation. The powdered additive fades in color over time to prevent staining and indicates to users when decontamination is complete. Highlight can be readily incorporated into existing protocols without the need for new equipment or training, has been shown to kill West Nile Virus and Influenza A, and is currently being validated against a variety of infectious agents at the National Institutes of Health and other labs. Highlight has the potential to greatly improve the practice of decontamination during epidemic outbreaks and for daily use by hospitals, laboratories, first responders, and government agencies.

Application and Commercialization: The worldwide disinfectant market is an $8 billion industry and growing annually at 6.7 percent as disease prevention has become increasingly important. Highlight holds a unique position within this market as the only additive that enhances the process of decontamination, bridging the gap between having a disinfectant and using it effectively. Kinnos envisions Highlight having two major applications; first, daily use by hospitals, laboratories, transportation and government agencies, and second, disinfecting surfaces during epidemic outbreaks. Highlight is currently used by the Fire Department of New York as part of their HazTac/HazMat decontamination protocol responses and has been field-tested by healthcare workers in Liberia. Highlight was a winner of the USAID Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge, Columbia Venture Competition, Collegiate Inventors Competition, and VentureWell E-Team Grants, and Kinnos has been recognized as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare. In collaboration with USAID, the Kinnos team recently traveled to Europe to demo for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the World Health Organization, and is scheduled to field-test with International Medical Corps in Guinea in June 2016. In addition, they are currently working with a large healthcare system in New York to explore applications for disinfection in patient rooms. Jason, Katherine, and Kevin aim to improve the process of decontamination globally and turn Kinnos into a sustainable business with the potential to impact thousands of lives.

A household appliance, which may be sitting inside your kitchen cabinet, can now be used as a powerful tool in the fight to control COVID-19. Researchers with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) developed a do-it-yourself solution to decontaminate personal protective equipment (PPE) using a programmable multicooker.

“S&T is thinking creatively during this nationwide crisis,” said William N. Bryan, DHS Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science & Technology. “We understand that PPE is not always readily available and are working tirelessly to provide Americans with simple methods to extend the life of this important equipment.”

Personal protective equipment, specifically respiratory protection such as N95 masks, are an effective way to reduce exposure to airborne SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. With high demand resulting in limited supply, S&T focused efforts on finding affordable and easy methods that allow masks to safely be reused. 

Evaluating common household devices, researchers identified programmable multicookers as a readily accessible and effective means to decontaminate masks, using moist heat, one of three methods recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Moist heat decontamination is achieved by treating masks with 149°F steam for 30 minutes. Key steps include placing the mask(s) in a paper bag, filling the multicooker with a half inch of water and setting the bag on a rack inside of it. S&T verified these conditions inactivate the virus below detectable limits in culture media and simulated saliva, while the masks still meet performance specifications after five treatments. Further research will determine if the virus is also inactivated in lung fluid, and whether this process is effective for additional treatments.

“Given the significance of this outbreak and importance of respiratory protection for first responders and medical professionals, we’re investigating simple, low-cost means to sanitize potentially contaminated N95 respirators,” said General Biological Scientist Dr. Lloyd Hough, and lead for S&T’s Hazard Awareness & Characterization Technology Center. “We hope front line personnel who need to use them can take advantage of this approach to extend the life of their limited supply of this critical piece of PPE.”

Full instructions, a video, fact sheet and FAQ about the process are available on the S&T website. The list of tested equipment is not to be suggested as an official endorsement of any particular brands or models but represent examples of the capabilities needed to achieve the desired results. If using another brand, it is important to verify that it can operate at 149°F, as different times or temperatures may not kill the virus or could damage the mask.  

S&T is continuing its laboratory research. Among other efforts in the battle against COVID-19, S&T produces the Master Questions List (MQL), which summarizes scientific research to determine what is known about the virus and what additional information is needed, and has produced two decay calculators that can help determine the lifespan of the virus on surfaces and in the air under varied environmental conditions. These resources are being produced as part of S&T’s Probabilistic Analysis for National Threats Hazards and Risks (PANTHR) program and are updated regularly as additional data become available.

Milipol Qatar, the Middle East’s leading international event for homeland security and civil defence, which returns to the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) in October, has attracted an international exhibitor line-up with global sector heavyweights signing up.Milipol Qatar, the Middle East’s leading international event for homeland security and civil defence, which returns to the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) in October, has attracted an international exhibitor line-up with global sector heavyweights signing up.

The latest exhibitor list for the biennial event shows confirmations from organisations across Scandinavia, Europe, the UK, Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, Far East, and Indian Sub-continent.

“Many leading names from the homeland security and civil defence sectors are among the confirmations received and span a wide breadth of equipment, systems, product and consultancy offerings” explained Marie Lagrenée, Milipol Events Director.

Confirmed exhibitors include: fire and protection infrastructure support product and engineering systems suppliers; services and safety training consultants; manufacturers of access control, personal protection equipment manufacturers; authentication and cyber-security systems; risk assessment and crisis management advisors; fibres and fabric suppliers; producers of measurement and analysis, mobility and optronic equipment; communications and transmission systems as well as weapons and ammunition suppliers.

Major players in the confirmed line-up include: Huawei Technologies of China; Turkey’s Ares Shipyard; the UK’s control room systems leader Winsted Limited; French microwave security experts MC2 Technologies; Italian encryption technologists Boole Server; Belgian relief-aid supplier Alpinter SA; German dangerous goods transporter Lufracom GmbH and one of the country’s leading personal protective equipment manufacturers Haix Schuhe Produktions Und Vertriebs as well as Danish surveillance technology pioneer Covidence A/S.

The staging of 13th Milipol Qatar is in line with the Government of Qatar’s overarching master plan for the gradual lifting of COVID-19 prevention restrictions which allows the staging of business gatherings, including exhibitions and conferences from September 1.

The industry-only event, which is under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, is organised by Qatar’s Ministry of Interior in partnership with Paris-based international event organiser Comexposium, acting on behalf of the GIE Milipol headed by Civipol, the consulting and service company of the French ministry of the Interior.

October’s Milipol Qatar is shaping up to be a window into a Middle East security market which is undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological advancements and by increased homeland health and safety requirements in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We can expect the release of a host of new cross-border health protection technology to provideheightened national health and safety and address concerns which have arisen as a result of COVID-19. These will be concerns which will need to be addressed if the Middle East is to realise itsambitions for the staging of major international events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022,” explainedMilipol Events Director Marie Lagrenée. “Milipol Qatar will be the first Post-pandemic homelandsecurity event to be staged and the first forum to ably address these concerns.”

A powerful Milipol Qatar knowledge-sharing program will feature dialogues, case studies anddebates on the industry’s expanding challenges and opportunities.Milipol Qatar 2020 is expected to welcome over 200 exhibitors and close to 8,000 visitors.

The event’s online registration platform for both exhibitors, and industry professional visitors, whoenter free-of-charge, is now open on www.milipolqatar.com

Squishy Robotics and Southern Manatee Fire & Rescue (SMFR) signed a pilot partnership agreement last week that will send several Squishy Robotics drone-deployable robots to the SMFR to test and use during the department’s emergency response operations and training scenarios over the next year. 

SMFR is a leader in the use of drones for fire and HazMat response. The department, which is in Bradenton between Tampa and Sarasota on Florida’s West Coast, began its drone program in 2015. Focusing first on drone use during HazMat calls, the department has been expanding the use of drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), technology ever since.

“SMFR is considered a thought leader in the use of drones among fire departments,” said Squishy Robotics COO Deniz Dogruer. “We are honored to be working with a team that is so highly respected within the emergency response community.”

In current HazMat responses, SMFR often attaches a multi-gas meter to a drone and lands it near an emergency site, effectively taking the UAV out of the air and dedicating the drone to monitoring only. Now, SMFR first responders will start using drones to airdrop Squishy Robotics’ sensor-equipped robots during emergencies. Once airdropped, a robot can remain close to a “hot zone” and provide enhanced situational awareness by transmitting video and sensor data back to the SMFR team. This delivery also frees the drone to return to the launch site or to perform other duties, such as flyovers that use high-definition or thermal cameras.

“We believe that this will be a win-win for both sides.” Dogruer explained. “Many firefighters talk about drones as force multipliers—and we see our droppable sensor robots as drone multipliers. By combining its drones with our sensor robots, the SMFR team can access lifesaving situational awareness all from a safe distance as team members plan how to respond to an emergency.”

“Our robots are going to be tested by some of the most experienced drone-using first responders in the country,” Dogruer continued. “We see so much value in capturing the feedback from SMFR first responders who have pushed the boundaries of using UAVs in emergencies. SMFR’s drone operation provides so much more than an ‘eye in the sky’ for team members; department drones combined with our robots can be true partners with—and reduce some of the burden and danger from—firefighters and HazMat team members.”

Squishy Robotics plans to update readers as this pilot partnership continues, so expect future articles detailing how our robots are being used in Manatee County, Florida. 

From army.mil

 A chemical and biological decontamination solution improved through testing and evaluation by the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center has been identified by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) as an effective COVID-19 disinfectant.

Center researchers have been working with Atomes, F.D., a company located in Quebec City, Canada, for more than two years. The Center provided testing and quality assurance to determine the general chemical and biological disinfecting effectiveness of their product, Bioxy. After conducting a literature review to examine disinfection options against COVID-19, DTRA identified Bioxy for use as an effective in-the-field disinfectant against COVID-19 and other viruses, according to Vipin Rastogi, Ph.D., a senior research biologist at the Center.

Rastogi and his group have been testing the effectiveness of Bioxy since the beginning of the Center’s relationship with the company, which led to the DTRA-funded literature review. “Originally, the company had no idea whether it would be effective against chemical or biological agents. They were marketing it as a sanitizer and disinfectant for medical and veterinary clinics,” he said. “Our work with the company was a partnership in which we performed detailed effectiveness testing against chemical and biological agents. We were able to provide Atomes with very specific advice on how to fine tune the product so that it could provide optimal protection to warfighters and the public against a broad range biological agents, spores and viruses.”

The Center research group, led by Rastogi, determined that Bioxy works well against a wide range of chemical and biological agents, as well as the family of viruses which includes the pox virus, Feline calici virus and the Ebola virus. His team performed its testing using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals. It is an international regulatory method for determining the efficacy of antimicrobial chemicals against spores, cells and viruses. The method is used by the 37 OECD member nations as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, much of industry and many independent laboratories.

“We place 10 microliters of live agent on a glass or steel test surface called a coupon, dry the agent for 45 to 60 minutes, place 50 microliters of Bioxy solution on top of that, then after a 10-minute contact period, add a neutralizer to inactivate the active components of test solution in a vial,” Rastogi explained. “The vial contents are vigorously mixed to retrieve the viable virus particles remaining off the test surface. We then perform a count of the viable organisms remaining.” The effectiveness of the disinfectant is determined by the percentage of change in the number of viable organisms in control coupons compared to those remaining on test coupons.

Chlorine bleach has long been known to be an extremely effective disinfectant; but it is highly corrosive, making it unsuited for disinfecting the sensitive electronic equipment found in military vehicles. Peroxide-based disinfectants such as Bioxy achieve a high level of effectiveness without being caustic. “The active ingredients in Bioxy break the molecular bonds in the virus,” said Rastogi. “Chemical bonds underlying the lipid virus envelope are what give the virus particle its structural integrity, so breaking them renders the virus particle nonfunctional. The active components may also destroy or break down bonds within the DNA or RNA that enables it to reproduce.”

A Powder, Not a Liquid

“Both variants of Bioxy tested, Bioxy H and Bioxy Enviro, provide many practical advantages to its military users because they are powders, and not liquids,” Rastogi said. “Bioxy, marketed as a powder, has three advantages. It’s not corrosive. You can ship it without any fire hazard precautions, and when you need it, you mix it with water and you have a ready-made decontaminant.” It works by generating peroxide when mixed with water.

While Bioxy still requires water to activate the peroxide, the amount of water needed is far less than the hundreds of gallons typically used by decontamination trucks. “We conducted a limited scale study where we tested a 5 percent solution,” Rastogi said. “If you want to translate that to ratios, 5 percent means five parts powder, 95 parts water. But if that much water is not available, you could make a 10 to 25 percent solution.”

Using Bioxy at these higher concentration decontaminates the biological agent with no adverse effects on the Soldier. “It is safe for the skin and is biodegradable,” Rastogi said. “It decomposes to innocuous end products, oxygen and water.”

It is also inexpensive and commercially available for application to warfighters’ personal protective equipment, vehicles, and any other potentially contaminated materials in the field with far less logistical burden than hauling large quantities of water-based decontaminants.

Program Pays Dividends

The relationship between the CCDC Chemical Biological Center and Atomes, F.D. is the product of the Foreign Technology and Science Assessment Support Program, known as FTAS, which is funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It provides seed funding for scientists to perform initial research, technology assessments and test and evaluation studies on promising defense technologies developed in other nations. Participating U.S. Army organizations, such as the Center, select foreign technology initiatives on a competitive basis. Army researchers seeking an FTAS grant submit a proposal which is evaluated by a panel of Army experts, and winning applicants are funded for one year to provide proof their technology’s effectiveness in meeting an Army need.

“Had we not formed this relationship with Atomes, DTRA would have never known about Bioxy and what a valuable broad spectrum disinfectant it is for biological agents,” said Rastogi. “It is very satisfying to know that because of this work, the warfighter and the public have an inexpensive, non-corrosive environmentally safe and highly effective technology in hand.”

“The Center’s use of the FTAS program to contribute to the development of a new technology as useful as Bioxy is a prime example of innovation in action,” said Eric Moore, Ph.D., director of the Chemical Biological Center. “Good ideas are where you find them, and we are glad we pursued this one – doubly so because it turns out that it is proving itself to be an answer to a brand new threat.”

DTRA is now funding Rastogi and his team to test the effectiveness of a number of other commercially available disinfectants to destroy the COVID-19 coronavirus using the OECD method.

The latest release of the NIST Mass Spectral Library, which includes the NIST Tandem Mass Spectral Library and NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Library and NIST GC Retention Index Database greatly increases the number of compounds and spectra since the 2017 version. The new versions, NIST20, are available from distributors for integration with existing instrumentation.

The NIST20 release includes: 

NIST Tandem Mass Spectral Library, 2020 release

• 31,000 compounds

• Twice as many as the 2017 release

• 186,000 precursor Ions 

• 1.3 million spectra

Fragmentation methods

• 27,840 HRAM (high res accurate mass) compounds

• 29,890 QTOF, HCD, IT-HRAM, QqQ compounds

• 29,444 ion trap compounds (low res., up to MS⁴)

• 246 APCI HRAM “extractables and leachables”

Precursor ion types

• 26,575 protonated

• 12,589 deprotonated

• 10,032 water/ammonia loss

• 34,199 other in-source generated

Wide Variety of Compounds

• Vitamin D3 metabolite
• Fentanyl
• Malathion insecticide
• Marbofloxacin antibiotic
• Naphthalene E&L, APCI
• Luteolin glucoside flavone
• Retinoic acid metabolite
• Fuc-GM1(d18:1/16:0) glycolipid
• and more

For full deatils head to https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist20-updates-nist-tandem-and-electron-ionization-spectral-libraries?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news

These weapons, known as nerve agents or neurotoxins, are highly potent and fast acting. Small doses can cause rapid paralysis and death, as the chemicals disrupt the connection between the body’s nerves and muscles.

These internationally banned liquids are aerosolised purposely to inflict damage on large geographical areas and are considered to be weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s).

In a project funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) of the UK Ministry of Defence, the Kent team investigated new methods of bulk decontamination of chemical weapons.

The result of the research was the “Metal-organic framework (MOF)-containing polymer sponge”.

This is a sponge developed to swell and absorb dangerous neurotoxins and make them safer to handle, which also contains the MOF chemical catalyst, created to accelerate the chemical’s breakdown, diminishing the neurotoxins into safer components.

To research this safely, researchers used substances to simulate the presence of neurotoxins without risking exposure to dangerous chemicals. Following this, Dstl tested the prototype material with the real nerve agent to confirm the effect.

“Less than five kilograms of the MOF-containing polymer sponge can absorb, immobilize, and safely destroy a 55-gallon drum of these toxic chemicals. It is very exciting to consider the potential this has in combatting dangerous chemicals in the future,” said Dr. Holder, who is also director of research at Kent’s School of Physical Sciences.

The research paper has been published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.9b18478#

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, demand for protective face masks has sky-rocketed in recent months, as wearing masks is now a requirement along with social distancing and hygiene measures. A wide range of masks is available, with the leading model being the N95. The authorities insist on the correct usage of masks, which means replacing it daily even if it kept clean and dry during the day.

These regulations, along with the urgent need to provide masks for the medical staff caring for coronavirus patients, has led to a surge in demand for these masks and a search for manufacturers and suppliers. In the U.S., for example, approximately 3.5 billion masks are required in order to protect against an acute epidemic – 100 times more than the number of masks readily available. An immediate shortage of masks also occurred in Israel and was accelerated when the Ministry of Health announced that mask-wearing is mandatory. 

Prof. Yair Ein-Eli, Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, developed a reusable face mask that can be heated in a controlled manner – a process that destroys viruses that accumulated on the mask and renders it reusable. The new technology is based on an inner layer of carbon fibers spread within the mask in a homogeneous manner. When the layer of fibers is heated using a low current (2 amps) from a readily-available source – such as a mobile phone charger, USB connection or other mobile electronic device chargers – the viruses are destroyed. 

Prof. Ein-Eli’s research group created the mask prototype and tested it together with Prof. Debbie Lindell and Prof. Oded Beja from the Faculty of Biology. A patent was submitted in the U.S. on March 31 and the research group is currently discussing commercialization with industrial companies.

A consortium led by Milrem Robotics and composed of several major defence, communication and cybersecurity companies and high technology SMEs was awarded 30,6 MEUR from the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) to develop a European standardized unmanned ground system.

During the project, a modular and scalable architecture for hybrid manned-unmanned systems will be developed to standardize a European wide ecosystem for aerial and ground platforms, command, control and communication equipment, sensors, payloads, and algorithms. The prototype system will utilize an existing unmanned ground vehicle – Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS – and a specific list of payloads.

The outcome of the project will be demonstrated in operational environments and relevant climatic conditions as part of participating member states military exercises or at separate testing grounds.

The total cost of the project, titled iMUGS (integrated Modular Unmanned Ground System), is 32,6 million euros of which 30,6 million will be provided by the European Commission.

“Robotic and autonomous systems will tremendously enhance defence and military capabilities in the coming years all around the world. iMUGS is an excellent example of how Europe can utilize and develop high-end technologies as a joint effort while avoiding scattering activities and resources,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.

“It is nice to see, that the European Defence Fund is efficiently consolidating the requirements of EU member states and the European industry’s capabilities to increase defence capabilities and strategic autonomy. The European industry is determined and ready to provide efficient and deployable technologies already over the next three years in the course of this project,” Väärsi added.

The project is led by Estonia and its technical requirements have also been agreed with Finland, Latvia, Germany, Belgium, France, and Spain who are planning on financing the remaining 2 MEUR of the projects budget.

During the project operational know-how will be gathered and concepts for the combined engagement of manned and unmanned assets developed, while considering the ethical aspects applicable to robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems. State-of-the-art virtual and constructive simulation environments will also be set up.

iMUGS will be a cooperation between 14 parties: Milrem Robotics (project coordinator), GT Cyber Technologies, Safran Electronics & Defense, NEXTER Systems, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Diehl Defence, Bittium Wireless, Insta DefSec, (Un)Manned, dotOcean, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, GMV Aerospace and Defence, the Estonian Military Academy and Royal Military Academy of Belgium.