The objective of Phase IIb is to finish prototype development for a system that will be able to detect and identify a list of 10 bioterrorism threats, including bacteria, viruses, and toxins, all with a response time of 15 minutes or less.

The process is automated and includes the efficient extraction of DNA and RNA from an environmental sample, purification of the DNA/RNA, amplification via multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, and identification of the threat-specific DNA sequences. The platform can also concurrently perform immunoassays to detect toxins in less than 10 minutes.

The technical approach is amenable to portable battery-power operation. In addition, the system can be expanded to cover up to 50 different threats.