DARPA's Breakthrough Biological Technologies for Warfighter Protection
For more than 50 years, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has held to a singular and enduring mission: to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security. The genesis of that mission and of DARPA itself dates to the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and a commitment by the United States that, from that time forward, it would be the initiator and not the victim of strategic technological surprises. This talk will discuss the mission of DARPA as it applies to warfighter protection. Progress on programs designing materials, devices, and cell-based systems to reduce threats and maximize warfighter readiness will be presented. Specific examples of biotechnologies and devices that can operate within the gastrointestinal tract will be highlighted.