The Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is one of the seven technical offices within
DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
Originally known as the Adv ...
, an agency of the
U.S. Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...
that is responsible for the development of advanced technology for
national security
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
. BTO was created in 2014 by combining some programs from the
Defense Sciences Office (DSO) and the
Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). The office focuses on basic and
applied research
Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...
in the areas of
gene editing,
biotechnologies
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
,
neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...
s and
synthetic biology
Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign systems that are already found in nature.
It is a branch of science that encompasses a broad ran ...
— from powered exoskeletons for soldiers to brain implants that can control mental disorders.
DARPA’s embrace of bioscience began in earnest in 2001, when anthrax spores posted to media offices and members of the
US Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...
brought concerns about
bioterrorism
Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...
to the fore. Then came the
wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, which led the agency to invest in fields such as neuroscience, psychology and
brain-computer interfaces — all with the intention of helping injured veterans. By 2013, the number of biology-related programmes had grown such that DARPA decided to consolidate them under one roof.
Organization
The first BTO office director in 2014-2015 -
Dr. Geoffrey Ling, MD.
The current BTO office director is Dr. Bradley Ringeisen, who joined DARPA as BTO’s deputy director in 2015 and was named director in 2019.
Active Programs
The BTO focused on leveraging advances in engineering and information sciences to drive and reshape biotechnology for technological advantage. BTO is responsible for all neurotechnology, human-machine interface, human performance, infectious disease, and synthetic biology programs within the agency.
* Advanced Plant Technologies (APT)
*Atmospheric Water Extraction (AWE)
*Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics (ADEPT)
* Battlefield Medicine
*Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration (BETR)
* Biological Control
* Biological Robustness in Complex Settings (BRICS)
*Biostasis
*Bridging the Gap (BG+)
*Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies (DIGET)
* Dialysis-Like Therapeutics (DLT)
* Electrical Prescriptions (ElectRx)
* Engineered Living Materials (ELM)
*Epigenetic CHaracterization and Observation (ECHO)
*Focused Pharma
*Friend or Foe
* Hand Proprioception and Touch Interfaces (HAPTIX)
* In Vivo Nanoplatforms (IVN)
*
Insect Allies (2017-2021)
* Intelligent Neural Interfaces (INI)
*INTERfering and Co-Evolving Prevention and Therapy (INTERCEPT)
*
Living Foundries
Living or The Living may refer to:
Common meanings
*Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms
** Living species, one that is not extinct
*Personal life, the course of an individual human's life
* ...
* Measuring Biological Aptitude (MBA)
*Microphysiological Systems (MPS)
* Neural Engineering System Design (NESD)
* Neuro Function, Activity, Structure, and Technology (Neuro-FAST)
*Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology (N3)
*Nucleic acids On-demand Worldwide (NOW)
*Panacea
* Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3)
*Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS)
* Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB)
*PReemtive Expression of Protective Alleles and Response Elements (PREPARE)
*PREventing EMerging Pathogenetic Threats (PREEMPT)
* Prometheus
* Rapid Threat Assessment
*ReSource
* Restoring Active Memory (RAM)
*ReVector
*
Revolutionizing Prosthetics
* Safe Genes
* Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies (SUBNETS)
* Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT)
* Technologies for Host Resilience (THoR)
See also
*
AbCellera
AbCellera Biologics Inc. is a Vancouver, British Columbia-based biotechnology firm that researches and develops human antibodies. The company is best known for its leading role in the Pandemic Prevention Platform, a project of DARPA's Biologica ...
References
External links
*
Conference "DARPA: Biology Is Technology" (New York, 2015) PlaylistConference "DARPA: Biology Is Technology" (San Francisco, 2015) Playlist
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DARPA offices
Military units and formations established in 1958
Research and development in the United States
Research projects
United States Department of Defense agencies
1958 establishments in Virginia
Government agencies established in 1958