NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (GenomeWeb News) - Accelrys will help aerospace giant Northrop Grumman research and develop bioagent detectors for the US Department of Homeland Security, Accelrys said this week.
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Terms of the agreement call for Accelrys to use its statistical modeling and analysis technology to help determine the "anticipated sensitivity and selectivity" of the detectors, which the DHS will use to monitor for the presence of certain undisclosed bacteria, viruses, and toxin-proteins.
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It was not immediately known which software Accelrys will contribute to the collaboration.
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Northrop Grumman was one of 14 companies and universities contracted by the Homeland Security Advance Research Projects Agency to research and develop "measures for defending against biological threats."
The aerospace company will receive a portion of a $48 million award among these 14 teams during an initial 18-month R&D phase. Accelrys did not disclose whether or how much it will be paid for its contribution. Northrop Grumman and Accelrys will be developing Bioagent Autonomous Networked Detectors, which will be used to continuously monitor for bioagents in outdoor urban areas, the companies said.