Dr. Peter Emanuel, the senior research scientist for Bioengineering at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, led a panel discussion on the role that biotechnology is playing in the Department of Defense’s ability to stay ready and resilient during the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technlogies Conference Aug. 8 in Washington, D.C. .

Other panel members included Dr. Jeff Stuart, engineered biology lead for Lockheed Martin, and Caitlyn Frazer, senior policy advisor with the Congressional National Security Commission for Biotechnology (NSCEB).  The trio shared perspectives from the government, commercial and leadership aspects, respectfully.

“We have come to an inflection point in synthetic biology and engineered biology in that this discipline has approached and achieved, in many cases, the level of rigor expressed by more traditional disciplines – medical, chemical, materiel engineering,” said Emanual. “This is just another set of tools that we have to meet our objectives in the defense industry.”

While the science behind the biology is the backbone, Stuart spoke on the application of the materials in use, but also the supply chain that supports the manufacturing of the materials.

“When we are talking about bringing in a new material, the new, exciting materials we can’t make otherwise, we’ve got to test and evaluate them. We have to test them operationally we’ve got to be assured that if we that knockout application that we want to transition onto our platforms,” he said. “We need assurance that if we complete the step and turn it into a requirement that the supply chain is going to be trustworthy.”

In January, the DoD began solicitations for Distribution of Biotech Manufacturing Industrial Program (DBMIP) to focus on areas which represent what the department’s supply chain burdens are at the time: Food, Fuel, Fitness, Fabrication and Firepower.  Ninety-one percent of responses were from non-traditional defense players according to Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineer Heidi Shyu, with awards expect to be delivered shortly after Labor Day.

“You’re looking at critical chemicals and supply of our defense systems,” said Emanual.  “Those critical chemicals are the building blocks of the industrial economic power that we need to move.”

While the Defense Department aspires to create these supply chains that are internal to the U.S., most investments are creating these materials are for commercial use.

Communicating to the public is also an important part of the buy-in.

“What we find is the more we talk to people about what this means to them, the more comfortable they are.” stated Frazer. “By bringing consumers into the conversations, increases the hopes eventually a level of comfort they have.”

Overall, the discussion was positive on the way-ahead in which biotechnology is helping our force. Emanual boasting about the capabilities and what we have to look forward to.

“Cells are amazing.  They can make things not even our best synthetic scientists and synthetic chemists can make and we are interested in those really neat materials that biology can make and we cannot,” he said.