QUICK PIVOT
Te goal of the lung-on-a-chip is to iden- tify which specific proteins in lung cells act as receptors for the virus and its routes of entry. Te chip has a top layer of lung tissue that recreates air moving along it and a bottom layer that mimics blood flow delivering micronutrients inside the tissue. Te cassette’s flexible plastic walls mimic the breathing process in lung cells to make the microenvironment as realis- tic as possible.
Te lung-on-a-chip enabled the team to determine the exact infectious dose and to time the cascade of effects inside the lung tissue when that threshold was met. Tis
information is the first step toward creat- ing therapeutic and protective measures, and ultimately helping to develop preven- tative medications. DEVCOM CBC received fiscal year 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding through the Defense Treat Reduction Agency for $4 million over 15 months for research on this project.
"Although nobody specifically knew that COVID-19 would occur, we at DEVCOM CBC were researching and preparing for the possibility of some kind of biological threat or pandemic event,” said Dr. Eric L. Moore, director of DEVCOM CBC. “Our researchers are the science and technology experts on biological threat protection, detection and decontamination. We also possess world-class additive manufactur- ing expertise. Tis combination made us well poised to support the nation in the fight against COVID-19, from material evaluation to personal protective equip- ment and even supply chain support. We were able to jump in and support our vari- ous partners with this emergency while continuing to accomplish our mission of developing technologies to protect the warfighter against chemical and biologi- cal threats on the battlefield.”
FIT FOR DUTY
Staff Sgt. Christian King-Lincoln, a noncommissioned officer with DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Headquarters, Research and Development Detachment, adjusts a shapeable nose bridge as he tries on an early prototype of the Army face covering. (Photo by David Kamm, U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center)
TEAMING WITH MAN’S BEST FRIEND Dogs have been trained to detect ovarian cancer and diabetes in the past, which inspired the DEVCOM CBC to consider the possibility that dogs could detect coro- navirus as well. DEVCOM CBC teamed with the University of Pennsylvania, through a cooperative research and devel- opment agreement, to determine if dogs could detect proteins the human immune system generates to fight the coronavirus.
DEVCOM CBC researchers developed the Training Aid Delivery Device, known as TADD, which are containers that
24 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2021
“Getting our Soldiers the best equipment is a team sport, and we used all our resources here.”
are safely sealed with a membrane that prevents hazardous material from escap- ing, but allows the scent of those materials to pass through. Te TADDs are attached to arms on a wheel; as a dog moves around the wheel, it learns to detect substances in the TADDs. In this case, the items in the TADDs are not live COVID-19 virus, but rather samples of urine, saliva, sweat and other biological samples that contain the biomarker proteins associated with COVID-19 disease in humans.
Te proof-of-concept study showed that dogs can be trained to detect the virus with 96 percent accuracy. Training the dogs to detect substances takes from six to nine weeks, though some dogs do not complete training because of its intensity.
Te next step in the project, which is not yet funded, is to train the dogs to work in public spaces such as airports and sports stadiums, where their ability to detect asymptomatic carriers could help prevent further transmission.
MEASURING COVID-19 ANTIBODIES In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) issued an
emergency use authorization to use conva- lescent plasma to treat people infected
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