Benign, Inexpensive Simulant for testing of Biological Standoff Sensors

The goal of this Phase I proposal is to develop a synthetic, low cost, and benign simulant for biowarfare agents (BWA) to be used in the testing of standoff sensors. Orono Spectral Solutions Inc. (OSS) has performed preliminary work leading to the identification of benign ingredients that, when combined in a predefined mass ratio, mimic UV-Vis and infrared signatures of BG spores. This work was performed under an existing contract (DoD contract # W911SR-06-C-0035). The objective of future investigation is to expand upon this work to 1) complete the development of a material package for a BG spore simulant, 2) develop similar material packages that mimic the same signatures of Erwinia herbicola and MS2 bateriophage and 3) develop a method for creating micron sized particles using the ingredients identified for our existing BG simulant.