Photo By Gabriella White | DEVCOM CBC Bioengineering Researcher Priscilla Lee and DEVCOM CBC Senior Biologist Ted...... read more read more
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD — The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) and the University of Hawaii (UH) System have teamed together on two initiatives to leverage biomaterials and advanced manufacturing to enhance warfighter survivability and effectiveness.
The work is being performed under a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) and two initial joint work statements (JWS). These will allow the two organizations to collaborate on various initiatives, from organ-on-a-chip scientific tools to broader advanced manufacturing and repair capabilities supporting the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), headquartered in Hawaii.
The Center spearheaded the formation of the agreement and first JWS, which was executed on March 14, 2025. Under the first JWS, Dr. Jason Barnhill, an associate research professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and Priscilla Lee, a DEVCOM CBC bioengineering researcher, will work together to develop organ models for assessing various compounds for the DoD.
Advances under this new CRADA aim to enhance existing in vitro organ models through the use of bioprinting to improve protection against and treatments for burns, exposure to poisonous gases, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other chem-bio threats to the warfighter.
Bioprinting is a technique that utilizes cell-based inks to reproduce 3D models (such as layers of skin) to better characterize and assess treatments for threats warfighters might face. Lee’s research at DEVCOM CBC focuses on bioprinting cell culture models to study immune responses and develop next-generation biomaterials for various uses. The new collaboration allows for the continuing advancement of bioprinting at DEVCOM CBC and the development of deployable printers at UH Mānoa to establish remote, printable prototype stations under austere conditions.
“We are incredibly proud that Dr. Barnhill and Priscilla Lee are representing the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and DEVCOM CBC with these efforts that have the potential to save the lives of our frontline Soldiers and civilians across the world,” said Sam Shomaker, dean of University of Hawaii at Mānoa JABSOM. “By helping to introduce innovative biofabrication technology to even more remote areas, JABSOM is assisting in the mission across the Pacific and globally.”
The second JWS under the CRADA leverages the University of Hawaii System’s presence and advanced manufacturing research and development capabilities in the USINDOPACOM region. The agreement allows both parties to develop advanced manufacturing capabilities to establish a more extensive regional network. This new network could increase supply chain resilience, promote defense innovation, improve information sharing and facilitate collaboration.
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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery, DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit devcom.army.mil.
The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is the primary DOD technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense. The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center fosters research, development, testing and application of technologies for protecting our military from chemical and biological warfare agents. The Center possesses an unrivaled chemical biological defense research and development infrastructure staffed by a highly-trained, multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists located at four different sites in the United States: Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas; Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2025 15:09 |
| Story ID: | 499556 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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