THE USE OF BIOFILMS TO COUNTER BIOTERRORISM

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DESCRIPTION (Verbatim from Applicant's Abstract): The possibility that terrorists will contaminate public drinking water supplies with biological agents, such as bacteria, viruses, or toxins, becomes greater every day. Recent cases of intentional food contamination with bacteria emphasize our vulnerability to these attacks. An innovative approach to counteracting this threat is to use bacterial biofilms for trapping and rendering these pathogenic biological agents ineffective. The goal of this, and subsequent research, is to build a system that uses natural biofilms to remove pathogens from contaminated drinking water. During Phase I, we will quantify the extent of pathogen attachment to biofilms. Specifically, we will use a test apparatus capable of measuring the amount of bioterrorism agents that can be captured by bacterial biofilms. The data generated from this research will be used to create a preliminary design of a treatment system. There is a definite need for a system such as this to prevent contamination of public or military drinking water systems. The expertise of the assembled team at MSE, and our partner, the Center for Bioflim Engineering, is unsurpassed in the field of biofilm attachment phenomenon, especially as it relates to drinking water issues. Together we can effectively develop this technology and move it towards commercialization. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: There is a definite need for systems that have the ability to effectively remove pathogenic substances from contaminated drinking water. A biofilm system will have many advantages over conventional systems because of its ability to trap and render ineffective a wide variety of pathogenic substances. Commercial applications for this system include the U.S. Military, hospitals, and water utilities.