Synthetic Biology: applications in Defence
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01 October 2014
© Crown copyright 2014 Dstl
01 October 2014 OFFICIAL
Presentation outline
• The military context – What we do and how we do it
• The problem space
• Our interest in Synthetic Biology • The competition
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The military context
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UK Armed Forces • Royal Navy circa 33,000 • British Army circa 82,000 • Royal Air Force circa 36,000
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Another way to look at it…
Platforms
Logistics
Personnel
Bases
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Analysis Systems Weapons
CT & Security
Human capability
C4ISR
Integrated survivability
CBR Cyber
The problem space
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Key problem spaces
Platforms
Logistics
Personnel
Bases
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Key problem space (1)
Personnel
• Soldier, platoon • Aircrew challenges • Future soldier?
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Key problem space (2)
Platforms
• Mobility • Lethality • Armour
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Key problem space (3)
Bases
• Infrastructure • Protection • Power / Waste
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Key problem space (4)
Logistics
• ‘The oil of war’ • More responsive,
predictive, logistics • As far forward as possible
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Key themes • Materials • Power • Sensors
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Application of Synthetic Biology Tools to address Defence Challenges
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How can this emerging technology address defence challenges?
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Synthetic Biology
• Integrated approach for UK – From basic science to
industrial application – Includes defence
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Synthetic biology
• Relevance to MOD – Integration into research programme to provide
solutions – Understand potential impact on Threat and mitigate – Legislation
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www.syntheticgenomics.com
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Synthetic biology aims to design and engineer novel biologically-based parts, devices and systems, as well as redesign existing natural biological systems for useful purposes. It incorporates the principles of engineering eg modularity, abstraction and orthogonality into classical biotechnology.
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OFFICIAL 1 October, 2014
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BUT….if it isn’t clear to the assessors how the application exploits synthetic biology, it will be out!
There are other definitions….
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01 October 2014
Synthetic Biology and Defence
Technology Readiness Level LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
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01 October 2014
Synthetic Biology and Defence
Technology Readiness Level LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
BUY
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Synthetic Biology and Defence
Technology Readiness Level LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
WATCH
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Synthetic Biology and Defence
Technology Readiness Level LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
INVEST TO ADAPT OR
APPLY
DEFENCE APPLICATIONS
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Priorities in the competition
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Challenge 1: Exploiting synthetic biology for protection
Challenge 2: Novel sensor technologies
Challenge 3: Potential revolutions
Synthetic Biology Novelty, Quality, Impact, Risk, Value
Incremental, vague, outside scope, no defence application identified
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Challenge 1: Protection
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Don’t be there
Don’t be seen
Don’t be targeted
Don’t be hit Don’t be penetrated
Don’t be killed
Built in redundancy
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Challenge 1: Protection • People, bases, platforms • Against a range of forms of attack
– physical attack ie projectiles or blast – chemical and biological agents – energy eg lasers etc
• Avoiding attack in the first place – eg camouflage
• Saving lives, protecting equipment – traumatic injury, sea survival, crash and post-crash
survival, aircraft ejection, hostile environments
• Novel materials of particular interest
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Challenge 2: Sensors
Sensors LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
CB(D)E* Sonar, radar etc
Gravity, material integrity, etc
*Chemical, Biological (inc Diagnostics), Explosives
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Sensors….higher TRL • Chemical and Biological threat agents • Explosives
Seeking technologies applicable to a wide range of challenges Prior demonstration of preliminary feasibility
– Focus on issues such as improving confidence in outputs and reducing the logistic burden
– Sample acquisition, preparation and pre-processing must be included
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Sensors….lower TRL
• Protective coating integrity • Environmental sensors • Magnetic fields, acoustic, visible light, infra red, and ultra
violet wavelengths (and beyond?) in ground, air or water • Contaminants or signatures in air, water or soil • Remote gravity fluctuations induced by large equipment • On the spot DNA analysis for identification
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Sensors in Defence
LOW HIGH
BASIC RESEARCH
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
Sensors
CB(D)E*
*Chemical, Biological (inc Diagnostics), Explosives
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Challenge 3: Revolutions
• Not covered above in 1 and 2 • Synthetic biology applications with defence relevance • Novel materials of particular interest • Power
– “materials that can be used to produce or store power”
– no synthetic approaches to fuels • High TRL and significant commercial investment
already
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Materials…. • New materials are potentially transformational
– Synthetic biology routes to existing compounds are not needed
• Must involve synthetic biology at some stage in their production
• Likely require multidisciplinary teams and approaches • Production of sufficient material to demonstrate desired
property • Military application must be identified • Challenges 1 and 3
– Application will decide which is the most appropriate
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Programme vision for materials
“……..exploiting global investment in state of the art materials and structures science for enhanced
defence and security capability.”
Future proofing that from which defence equipment is made!
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Challenges • Challenge 1: Protection • Challenge 2: Sensors • Challenge 3: not covered above
• Pick the most appropriate one for the application selected • No pre-determined allocation of funds between
challenges
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What we don’t want • Routes to existing materials and compounds
– including antibiotics • Existing solutions or technology, which have
already been tested and found to have limited utility • Proposals that comprise a paper study, review or
similar
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What we don’t want
• Solutions requiring the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment
• Proposals in areas where there is already a significant research effort – unless a clearly defined new application relevant
to defence and security • Proposals without a synthetic biology component in
the approach
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Bidding… improving your chances
• Identify the defence application clearly – What will be the benefit?
• Identify the synthetic biology component clearly • How is this highly innovative? • What advantages does this provide over currently
available solutions? • Have you assembled a team that can do this?
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Bidding… improving your chances
• Read the guidance • Submit early • The deadline really is the deadline
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Synthetic Biology
• Deadline: Thursday 6 November 2014 at 5pm • Technical Partners for successful bids • Exploitation
– Phase 2 • Potentially up to £3 million for Phase 2 funding
– Main MOD research programme – Commercial partners
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