The US Military Fight Capabilities Improvement Command (DEVCOM) Chemical Organic Heart (CBC) and the College of Hawaii System have teamed up on two initiatives to leverage biomaterials and superior manufacturing to boost warfighter survivability and effectiveness.
The work is being carried out underneath a cooperative analysis and improvement settlement (CRADA) and two preliminary joint work statements (JWS). These will enable the 2 organizations to collaborate on varied initiatives, from organ-on-a-chip scientific instruments to broader superior manufacturing and restore capabilities supporting the USA Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii.
The middle spearheaded the formation of the settlement and the primary JWS, which was executed on March 14, 2025. Underneath the primary JWS, Dr. Jason Barnhill, an affiliate analysis professor on the John A. Burns Faculty of Drugs (JABSOM) on the College of Hawaii at Mānoa, and Priscilla Lee, a DEVCOM CBC bioengineering researcher, will work collectively to develop organ fashions for assessing varied compounds for the US Division of Protection (DoD).
Advances underneath this new CRADA goal to boost present in vitro organ fashions via the usage of bioprinting to enhance safety towards and remedies for burns, publicity to toxic gases, antibiotic-resistant micro organism, and different chem-bio threats to the warfighter.
Bioprinting makes use of cell-based inks to breed 3D fashions, resembling layers of pores and skin, to raised characterize and assess remedies for threats warfighters would possibly face. Lee’s analysis at DEVCOM CBC focuses on bioprinting cell tradition fashions to check immune responses and develop next-generation biomaterials for varied makes use of. The brand new collaboration permits for the persevering with development of bioprinting at DEVCOM CBC and the event of deployable printers on the College of Hawaii at Mānoa to ascertain distant, printable prototype stations underneath austere situations.
“We’re extremely proud that Dr. Barnhill and Priscilla Lee are representing the College of Hawaii at Mānoa and DEVCOM CBC with these efforts which have the potential to save lots of the lives of our frontline Troopers and civilians internationally,” stated Sam Shomaker, Dean of the College of Hawaii at Mānoa JABSOM. “By serving to to introduce revolutionary biofabrication expertise to much more distant areas, JABSOM is aiding within the mission throughout the Pacific and globally.”
The second JWS underneath the CRADA leverages the College of Hawaii system’s presence and superior manufacturing analysis and improvement capabilities within the USINDOPACOM area. The settlement permits each events to develop superior manufacturing capabilities to ascertain a extra in depth regional community. This new community might enhance provide chain resilience, promote protection innovation, enhance info sharing, and facilitate collaboration.
