Fairway to develop threat detection system

HOUSTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has contracted Fairway Medical Technologies Inc. to develop a biological warfare agents detection technology for use in combat zones.

Fairway Medical Technologies has received a three-year, $900,000 contract to develop a technology capable of detecting blood-borne pathogens and biological warfare agents in real time. Company officials say they will implement their optoacoustic technology in the development of the new threat detection system.

The optoacoustic biosensor tests samples of blood plasma and targets specific threat pathogens.

The announced contract stems from an original project led by Randolph Glickman of the University of Texas Health Science Center. Glickman will collaborate with Fairway Medical Technologies and Navy laboratories to further develop the optoacoustic spectroscopy technology.

"This research is intended to develop a rugged battlefield instrument capable of detecting biological agents such as anthrax, plague, smallpox and others with the speed, accuracy, sensitivity and reliability of analytical techniques and instruments found in the state-of-the-art laboratory today," Glickman said in a statement.