NCJ Number
193061
Editor(s)
Scott P. Layne,
Tony J. Beugelsdijk,
C. Kumar N. Patel
Date Published
2001
Length
307 pages
Annotation
Based on presentations and discussions by experts, this book discussed the scientific and technological challenges faced by Americans in the fight against infectious diseases, contamination of food and water, and bioterrorism, and how the Nation can combat these threats through laboratory automation, computer technology, and molecular biology.
Abstract
A discussion group was held in 1999 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, bringing together experts in the fields of infectious diseases, food safety, bioterrorism, and molecular medicine to discuss the scientific challenges of fighting deadly infectious diseases, ensuring the safety of food and water supplies, mitigating bioterrorism and biowarfare, and facilitating work on human genetics and molecular medicine. The chapters in this book culminated from these discussions and are arranged based on the four scientific challenges. The book examined how the Nation can combat these threats by improving our ability to detect, measure, and monitor harmful biological agents. It explored innovations in laboratory automation, computer technologies, and molecular biology, as well as generating and analyzing data quickly and reducing human hands-on involvement. The improvement and application of technologies, such as robotics, laboratory automation, "lab-on-a-chip", bioinformants, and Internet control innovations are presented. Appendices include the agenda of the 1999 colloquium. Tables