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Biological Technologies Office (BTO)

BTO

From programmable microbes to human-machine symbiosis, biological technologies are expanding our definition of technology and redefining how we interact with and use biology. More

Highlights

Image caption: The Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3) program aims to develop an integrated platform that uses nucleic acid sequences to halt the spread of viral infections in sixty days or less. Using nucleic-acid-based technologies pioneered by DARPA as a foundation, the program now seeks to create an end-to-end platform by developing technologies to overcome remaining bottlenecks that hinder rapid response to pandemic threats. The three required technology areas cover growth of virus to support testing of treatments; rapid evolution of protective antibodies outside of the body; and safe and efficient delivery of nucleic-acid-based protective treatments.

Removing the Viral Threat: Two Months to Stop Pandemic X from Taking Hold

P3 aims to develop an integrated end-to-end platform that uses nucleic acid sequences to halt the spread of viral infections in 60 days or less. Full proposals are due 5:00 PM ET on May 1, 2017.
BTO Officewide

Innovation in Biotechnology

BTO’s “open” BAA offers a mechanism for researchers to reach DARPA with an idea that may fall outside of BTO’s current priorities, but that the proposer feels could be valuable to national security.
DARPA and the Brain Initiative

DARPA and the Brain Initiative

DARPA supports the Brain Initiative through a number of programs that are developing novel neurotechnologies, enabling new therapies, and advancing understanding of brain structure and function.

Tags

| Agency | Bio-complexity | Bio-systems | Disease | Health | Med-Devices | Syn-Bio |

 

Opportunities

To view a selective listing of solicitations posted by this office please visit the BTO Opportunities page, where you can further sort by topic.

Programs

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Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics (ADEPT)

COL Matthew Hepburn, MD, USA
The ADEPT program aims to create the technology base required to help medical professionals outpace the spread of natural or engineered diseases and toxins. More
| Disease | Health | Therapy |

Battlefield Medicine

Dr. Tyler McQuade
Battlefield logistics are a challenge regardless of the mission. Adversaries, terrain, and the environment can all serve to complicate the process of delivering supplies to warfighters. The current Department of Defense (DoD) approach to medical supply logistics is limited in its reach to far-forward emergency settings, response to emergent in-theater threats, and utility for bio-preparedness stockpiling. It can often take weeks to months to manufacture and airlift organic pharmaceuticals and protein therapeutics to battlefield frontlines, meaning that critical medical supplies often do not arrive in time where they are needed most. More
| Disease | Health | Therapy |

Biochronicity

Dr. Jim Gimlett
Military readiness and national security depend on the health and wellbeing of military servicemembers. DoD’s cumulative investment in personnel comprises the second-largest share of the total defense budget. As such, DoD seeks advances in healthcare to ensure warfighters can operate at peak performance. In this context, the Biochronicity program will explore the role of time in biological functions in pursuit of breakthroughs in managing the effects of time on human physiology. More
| Bio-complexity | Forecasting |

Biological Control

Dr. Brad Ringeisen
The Biological Control program seeks to build new capabilities for the control of biological systems across scales—from nanometers to centimeters, seconds to weeks, and biomolecules to populations of organisms—using embedded controllers made of biological parts to program system-level behavior. More
| Bio-complexity | Fundamentals | Math | Syn-Bio |

Biological Robustness in Complex Settings (BRICS)

Dr. Justin Gallivan
The Biological Robustness in Complex Settings (BRICS) program seeks to develop the fundamental understanding and component technologies needed to engineer biosystems that function reliably in changing environments. A long-term goal is to enable the safe transition of synthetic biological systems from well-defined laboratory environments into more complex settings where they can achieve greater biomedical, industrial, and strategic potential. More
| Bio-complexity | Bio-systems | Syn-Bio |