Biodefence

: Modern strategy aims for an " Apollo Program " for biodefence: a world where we can detect and neutralize any biological threat in days, not years [10].

: While countries like the Soviet Union once ran massive covert programs to weaponize diseases like smallpox and plague, international treaties (like the Biological Weapons Convention) shifted the focus to purely defensive research [22, 35]. biodefence

Today, the biodefence story is increasingly about the convergence of technologies [19]. : Modern strategy aims for an " Apollo

: Advances in synthetic biology and AI have lowered the bar for creating lethal, novel pathogens in laboratories [2, 19]. : Advances in synthetic biology and AI have

Historically, biodefence emerged from the shadows of offensive biological weapons programs [31, 35].

: At facilities like the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), scientists focus on "medical countermeasures"—creating the vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments needed to protect soldiers and civilians from biothreats [23, 35]. Modern Challenges: The "Silent" War