Originally Published IVD Technology
April 2004
EDITOR'S PAGE
Fighting bioterrorism—and more
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax incidents that followed, U.S. government agencies have significantly increased the amounts of funding
and other resources devoted to preparing an effective defense against the threat of bioterrorism. IVD companies have been especially close to the front lines of this effort, helping to develop technologies that can detect
the presence of bioterrorism agents in the event of an
actual attack.
It’s no accident that IVD companies should be playing such an important role, since the IVD industry possesses a wealth of expertise in developing testing technologies suitable for biodefense applications. In addition to their business in clinical testing, many IVD manufacturers produce reagents and instruments that are also used in nonclinical settings. Such nonclinical technologies are already in use to monitor many aspects of our environment, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
But the events that took place during and after September 11 brought a sharper focus on additional roles that IVD technologies can play in nonclinical applications. Instead of testing only for naturally occurring diseases, accidental contaminants, and industrial pollutants, IVD technologies have been thrust to the forefront of the biodefense effort by being adapted to detect such bioterrorism agents as anthrax, smallpox, and ricin. Since the air, water, and food supply are prime targets for a bioterrorism attack, IVD technologies already in use in those areas have been considered natural choices for biodefense testing.
Even when IVD technologies modified for nonclinical applications are used, however, adapting them for application in biodefense testing is not as simple and straightforward as it might seem. Detecting bioterrorism agents presents a number of unique challenges, mostly because such biodefense tests must be suitable for use by first responders. In developing technologies for biodefense applications, IVD manufacturers have to give priority to the test features that first responders need most, including portability, speed, sensitivity, specificity, and multiplexing capabilities.
Biodefense researchers are aware of the needs of first responders, and they are actively working to develop testing technologies that address those needs. In this issue of IVD Technology, Bill Colston, an associate program leader of the chemical and biological nonproliferation program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, raises these and other issues in the In Person interview, “Developing IVDs for Defense” (page 28). Colston also discusses Lawrence Livermore’s collaboration with other government agencies and the private sector to develop biodefense diagnostics.
Unfortunately, since September 11, the threat of bioterrorism has become a part of our daily lives. But with continued support from government agencies and their researchers, IVD manufacturers will remain leaders in adapting sophisticated IVD technologies as the basis of an effective biodefense system.
Richard Park
Copyright ©2004 IVD Technology
