The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) unveiled a bold plan to fight bacterial and fungal pathogens. These microorganisms can cause bloodstream infections (BSI), a potentially lethal threat to both military and civilian populations.
The program, baptized SHIELD (Ssynthetic Hemo techIEjust that Lgoose & Disinfect), is DARPA's latest initiative to provide preventative treatments to military personnel who have suffered wounds from bullets, explosives and other injuries resulting from combat situations.
The risk of pathogens on the battlefield
Military personnel are often exposed to a high risk of infections due to the challenges they face during their service. In fact, the military does not always have access to medical facilities where it is possible to make a correct diagnosis or administer drugs and treatments in a timely manner.
With the SHIELD program, DARPA aims to mitigate some of the potential threats that military personnel often encounter. The goal is to provide post-trauma care to bind and defeat pathogens before they can become a health risk.
SHIELD: a Roomba in the blood
One of the salient features of the SHIELD program is the use of advanced diagnostic technologies. These allow pathogens in the blood to be quickly and precisely identified. Thanks to this ability, it will be possible to intervene in a timely and targeted manner to prevent the onset of serious infections. A fundamental aspect, especially considering the often extreme conditions in which soldiers find themselves in the field.
For comparison, the DARPA he expects SHIELD to be some sort of automatic, Roomba-like vacuum cleaner that circulates in the blood. The agency plans to roll out therapies that offer single-dose protection that lasts up to a week. These therapies will be easily accessible on the battlefield and capable of combating a variety of both known and “new” pathogens, including resistant ones.
SHIELD, the next steps
Christopher Bettinger, Ph.D., manager of the SHIELD program, plans to divide the development into phases that include a “proof of concept”, validation of the results, and finally the first tests on animals.
Once underway, SHIELD has the potential to save lives on the battlefield and “dramatically improve the impact and efficiency of care delivered to warfighters in the 21st century,” Bettinger says.
I at least hope that, as has often happened in the past, the military field will move to the civilian one: such a project has the potential to save many human lives and lengthen just as many.
