SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Specialized Medical Materiel or Procedures to Enhance Force Health Protection
- Notice Date
- 10/20/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Direct Reporting Units, 11th CONS, 110 Luke Avenue (Bldg 5681) Suite 200, Bolling AFB, DC, 20032-0305
- ZIP Code
- 20032-0305
- Solicitation Number
- BAA-SGR-06-1
- Response Due
- 10/20/2006
- Archive Date
- 10/20/2006
- Description
- RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST A. ADVANCE DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTICS RESEARCH PROGRAM The Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research Program (ADTRP) focuses on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of naturally-occurring endemic diseases with demonstrated or potential capability to decrease military operational effectiveness. Diseases of principal interest to ADTRP are respiratory, infectious and diarrheal disease caused by bacterial or viral pathogens. Other noteworthy areas include but not limited to metabolic disorders/diseases, blood and immune system, ophthalmology (vision correction, injury and biomarkers), and diseases or syndromes of interest to the military medical system. 1. Research and Development of Preventive Measures for Infectious Diseases: The ADTRP supports studies to characterize infectious agents, identify pathogenesis and human protective immune responses. 2. Research and Development of Therapeutics: Studies to screen, synthesize and develop therapeutics for militarily-relevant infectious agents are secondary to the prophylactic development program above. However, proposals dealing with novel drug delivery systems, i.e., sustained-release and methods of targeting drugs to reduce toxicity or delivery of drugs of clinical importance to the active sites are welcomed. ADTRP supports studies for the development of enhanced human performance therapeutics. 3. Diagnostic Systems: Studies applicable to the development of common diagnostic systems including platforms for detection, surveillance and diagnosis of naturally occurring infectious agents of military medical importance are considered of high clinical importance. ADTRP also supports the development of diagnostic systems including immunologically-based and nucleic acid-based platforms as well as genomics and proteomics, pertinent to detection, surveillance and diagnosis of naturally-occurring infectious agents of military importance. Investigations to identify improved pertinent specimen collection and processing techniques will also be considered for funding. B. HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION RESEARCH PROGRAM The Human Performance and Systems Integration Research Program provides integrated capabilities for the protection of health and sustainment of military performance which may impact service members in the performance of their mission as it integrates with Air Force weapon systems. Research is directed to an improved understanding of physiology, ergonomics and biodynamics in order to reduce risk to service members, protect against materiel and environmental hazards, and development of specifications, algorithms and models for strategies and interventions to protect health and performance. This research program may be coordinated with programs funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory in the area of Human Effectiveness research. Current areas of emphasis include: 1. Physiology, ergonomics and metabolic interventions such as metabolic regulators to optimize performance in aerospace operational environments and optimization of physical performance and musculoskeletal injury prevention. 2. Biodynamics and injury sciences research such as modeling and simulation, aircrew performance and injury-based criteria, biomechanical and crash injury protection, and laser eye injury protection and treatment. 3. Biomedical and toxicology research such as exposure assessment systems for chemical, biological, radiological, and directed energy rapid assessment methods. 4. Operational visual assessment research such as contrast sensitivity, night vision acuity, and color vision. C. MILITARY OPERATIONAL MEDICINE RESEARCH PROGRAM Operational medicine research include specialized medical materiel, capabilities and/or procedures designed to enhance force health protection, restore health, prevent casualties, enhance human performance, and maintain a fit and healthy force. Current areas of emphasis include: 1. Aeromedical evacuation: A primary emphasis of the Research Program is on the identification and development of medical techniques and materiel (medical devices, drugs, and biologics) for early intervention in life-threatening battle injuries, before and/or during medical evacuation. In addition, there is interest in products to maintain casualties during prolonged evacuation. 2. Ground medical support: The research focus is on forward medical care to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with major battlefield wounds and injuries. The preference is on medical techniques and materiel that can be used by first responders, which means that medical materiel must be easily transportable, i.e. small, lightweight, and durable in extreme environments and handling; devices must be easy to use, low maintenance, with self-contained power sources as necessary. Drugs and biologics, ideally, should not require refrigeration or other special handling. Materiel and techniques must be simple and rapid to employ. Included in this area of interest are noninvasive or minimally invasive sensors to detect and warn of impending vascular collapse and/or significant tissue damage due to perfusion deficits. Examples: local and systemic hemostatic agents, treatments to enhance oxygen delivery and perfusion of tissue, equipment and procedures for effective fluid resuscitation of casualties, and enhanced resuscitation fluids. 3. Special operations medicine: Research efforts are needed in principles and technology available to monitor and sustain injured casualties during episodes of delayed or protracted evacuation; management of patients when treatment is delayed as a result of mission requirements; and enhanced capabilities for special operations unique environments. Also there is interest in non-invasive sensors, algorithms, processors, simulation, modeling and physiology databases for remote triage, monitoring and management of casualties. 4. Medical Chemical Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Explosive (CBRNE): Research focus is on environmental, safety and occupational health (CBRNE detection, identification, warning, and recovery) and integration of a full-spectrum response to natural and manmade disasters. Also included are areas to provide preventive, primary and critical care of the population at risk, perform medical surveillance, and assist in rapid identification and hazard analysis of CBRNE agents. 5. Casualty prevention: This research area includes preventive medicine activities - based on a view of total health risk required to achieve the ultimate goal of ensuring the force is available for all phases of directed missions. 6. Clinical medicine: The primary interest is in the area of existing materiel for which concept and/or patient care efficacy have already been demonstrated, but require improvement to meet our military constraints. Also of interest is research to provide improved medical management to enhance survival and expedite the return-to-duty through definitive therapies and life support technologies, reduce mortality and morbidity, and develop and demonstrate key technologies enabling biomedical principles that are both medically and militarily unique. 7. Human performance enhancement: This effort includes research in the areas of improved cognitive performance, contribution to sustained effectiveness during high operational tempo, enhancement of human and machine interface, and enhanced battlespace situational awareness. D. BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH PROGRAM The Medical Bioinformatics Research Program provides medical advances in molecular biology and equipment concerned with the creation of databases of biological information. The following are the overarching research and development focus areas: 1. Design and develop interfaces whereby researchers can access existing information and submit new entries. 2. Computational Biology involving the identification of genes in the DNA sequences of various organisms. Develop methods to predict the structure and/or function of newly discovered proteins and structural RNA sequences. 3. Development of protein models to align similar proteins and generate phylogenetic trees to examine evolutionary relationships. E. DIRECTED ENERGY INJURY RESEARCH PROGRAM The Directed Energy Injury Research Program provides medical capabilities to detect and diagnose various types of injuries, ranging from sub-acute to chronic, as a result of directed energy devices. The program will maintain the scientific base and technological capability to develop timely medical surveillance measures for both current and future directed energy threats. Research funded by this program will be used to identify concepts and candidate medical surveillance measures for use by individual service members or medical personnel. Basic and applied research are supported and may address topics as diverse as determining sites/mechanisms of action and effects of exposure to directed energy. Studies with emphasis on exploitation of biomarkers for surveillance and diagnostic technology, ocular pathophysiology, molecular modeling, and identifying sites and biochemical mechanisms of action, medical measures, and molecular biological and biotechnological development are highly encouraged. F. TELEMEDICINE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM The scope of the Air Force telemedicine program includes identification, exploration and demonstration of key technologies, and enabling biomedical principles required to overcome technological barriers that are both medically and militarily unique. Telemedicine is defined as ?the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participants.? The goals of this effort are to: 1) reduce the medical ?footprint? and increase medical mobility while ensuring access to essential medical expertise and support; 2) improve the skills and efficiency of care providers; and 3) improve the delivery and quality of medical/surgical care throughout the AFMS. Achieving the goals of telemedicine will require new technologies and the application of existing technologies to uniquely military health-related problems, as well as integration with other DoD modernization initiatives in the areas of information systems, telecommunications networks, and logistics systems. Research and development is required to enhance the following capability elements: 1. In-flight applications: This operational capability to use distributed medical databases and computer supported collaborative planning aimed to support in-flight care and guidance in an emergency. 2. Medical Information Acquisition: Defined as the ability to rapidly acquire a full spectrum of multimedia clinical and operational information that will enable medical providers to rapidly diagnose, provide treatment, and report the information. Other candidate technologies include but are not limited to mobile and wireless devices. 3. Telemedical resources: Effective employment of medical resources is the ability to more effectively and efficiently employ medical assets within the AFMS. It is dependent upon three functional capabilities: prognostics and planning, telemedical management of medical forces, and execution of time-critical medical missions. These capabilities allow the medical commander to better monitor and tailor medical forces to the needs of specific missions. It allows commanders to integrate medical assets throughout the AFMS and to better coordinate health care delivery. Medical Force Management is the ability to use advanced diagnostics, communications and information technology to more effectively manage medical resources both deployed and in garrison at the sustaining base. 4. Biotechnology: The AFMS is currently transforming into a more responsive, deployable, agile, versatile, lethal, survivable, and sustainable force (Future Force) than the current (legacy) force. Medical forces and assets will have to be efficient, effective and capable of supporting the full spectrum of military operations. There are several biotechnology areas that are important for the medical technology research community to exploit in order to achieve significant gains in combat support effectiveness en route to the Future Force. Specifically, prospective AFMS medical applications of biotechnology include: data fusion and storage, biosurveillance, consultant ?store and forward? technologies, high-resolution imaging, and physiologic sensors. G. SPECIAL PROGRAMS The AF/SGR is frequently directed by Congress to manage funding of research programs with specific goals and end-points for health related issues relevant to military personnel, military dependents, veterans, and the health of the American public. These research programs are generally concerned with topics relating to health-care delivery; detection, diagnosis, control or eradication of specified diseases, conditions, or syndromes; or other initiatives relevant to health needs. Funding of these areas is dependent upon Congressional direction and availability of funds.
- Place of Performance
- Address: TBD
- Record
- SN00918598-W 20051022/051020212054 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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