Texas Biomedical Research Institute is partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense to protect soldiers and citizens from biothreats, including natural infectious diseases and the emerging threat of lab-engineered bioweapons.
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The San Antonio-based nonprofit research institute announced the new collaboration on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Texas Biomed will work with the arm of the DOD that manages the nation’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense assets — known as the Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, or CPE CBRND.
Under the agreement, Texas Biomed will develop and validate new “medical countermeasures” against naturally emerging diseases and “engineered risks.” Examples of medical countermeasures typically include vaccines, antivirals, diagnostic tools and personal protective equipment.
Experts and governments around the world have become increasingly concerned about the risk of bioterrorism — the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or toxins against humans, animals or food supplies — worrying that advances in artificial intelligence are exacerbating the threat.
The agreement between Texas Biomed and the DOD is aimed at ensuring the country’s biodefenses are ready continuously instead of episodically, according to the news release.
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“Texas Biomed excels in reducing the time between scientific insight and operational impact, which is critical for proactive preparedness and responding quickly when threats emerge,” said Cory Hallam, professor and executive vice president of Applied Science and Innovation at Texas Biomed.
Texas Biomed specializes in understanding and fighting infectious diseases, including vaccine and antiviral development. The institute is home to the highest level of biosafety laboratories, able to study the most dangerous pathogens under strict containment protocols, as well as one of the largest nonhuman primate centers in the U.S.
“This is a long-term investment in resilience,” Texas Biomed President and CEO Dr. Larry Schlesinger said. “As biological threats continue to evolve, partnerships like this are increasingly essential.”
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