Today, the biodefence story is increasingly about the convergence of technologies [19].
Historically, biodefence emerged from the shadows of offensive biological weapons programs [31, 35].
: Modern strategy aims for an " Apollo Program " for biodefence: a world where we can detect and neutralize any biological threat in days, not years [10]. biodefence
: At facilities like the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), scientists focus on "medical countermeasures"—creating the vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments needed to protect soldiers and civilians from biothreats [23, 35]. Modern Challenges: The "Silent" War
For a deeper dive into the history and potential future of these threats, the graphic novel Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History provides a visual walkthrough of these "microscopic weapons" [4]. Today, the biodefence story is increasingly about the
: Experts from the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense argue that natural pandemics, like COVID-19, are as much a biodefence concern as intentional attacks [9, 10].
In October 2001, just weeks after 9/11, letters filled with white powder containing Bacillus anthracis spores were mailed to news offices and U.S. senators [11, 21]. The attack killed five people and hospitalized 17 others, causing widespread panic and forcing a fundamental change in how the world viewed microscopic threats [14, 21]. It proved that biological agents could be used to incite terror and disrupt entire governments [13, 21]. From Offense to Defense : At facilities like the U
: Advances in synthetic biology and AI have lowered the bar for creating lethal, novel pathogens in laboratories [2, 19].