Council on Competitiveness Sponsors March 14 Biodefense Tech Forum

3/11/2002

From: Lea Kleinschmidt, 202-969-3390, lkleinschmidt@compete.org or Judy Phair, 202-969-3398, jphair@compete.org, both of the Council on Competitiveness

News Advisory:

WHAT: Congressional briefing on "Technology & Biodefense." This event is part of the Forum on Technology and Innovation Series, co-chaired by Sens. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and sponsored by the Council on Competitiveness. Open to the public.

WHEN: Thursday, March 14, 12:30 to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Room SC-5, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

WHO: -- Tara O'Toole, director, Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense -- a physician and public health professional, she has made the Center for Civilian Biodefense a scientific leader in guarding against biological attacks.

-- Alan Zelicoff, senior scientist, Sandia National Laboratories -- a physician and physicist, he is an expert on counterterrorism and biological defense, and a forceful advocate of new systems to track disease outbreaks.

-- Jane Alexander, deputy director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) -- an accomplished technologist with extensive expertise in both physics and biology, she directs a broad portfolio of biodefense technology development programs.

DETAILS: The rash of anthrax attacks last fall has made the threat of bioterrorism much more real for Americans. It has also demonstrated problems with the nation's preparedness to deal with sophisticated attacks involving engineered biological weapons.

The discussion will focus on the challenges the United States faces in defending against biological attack and some of the technology options available to detect, track, and respond to possible bioterror threats. The need for new biodefense technology ranges from sensors, monitoring systems and software, and diagnostic tools, to new approaches to vaccine and drug development.

BACKGROUND: The Forum is an initiative of the Council on Competitiveness, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of leaders from the business, university, and labor communities working together to set a national action agenda for U.S. leadership in the global marketplace, technological innovation, and education.