When the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Battlefield Medicine site found that soldiers posted overseas can sometimes go months without biopharmaceuticals, they looked for a way to quickly produce pharmaceuticals on demand for wartime and disaster situations by seeking out research teams to address the problem.

Govind Rao, chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, is the principal investigator of one such research team focused on creating medicines on demand. He spoke to Bioprocess Online, a leading source of biotherapeutic industry and technical information, about his cutting edge research.

Rao was initially skeptical about the feasibility of the project, but reached a breakthrough when he found Thermo Scientific, a company that that could remove the need for cold chain shipping due to their ability to produce large proteins within hours. After partnering with Thermo Scientific, Rao found David Wood, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University, to help purify the proteins in a small container.

The team recently finished the project’s first phase, which proved that their basic ideas could work. They are now in their second phase, which includes creating the device that can produce therapeutic proteins in a ready-to-inject form. “We are entering a new realm of figuring things out,” Rao said. “Everything that happens today to manufacture a biopharmaceutical has to be miniaturized into this briefcase-sized device.”

Click here to read “DARPA’s Challenge: Manufacture A Biopharmaceutical In Less Than 24 Hours” in Bioprocess Online.

Gordon Center for Performing Arts and JCC Arts & Culture Department seeks Front of House Manager

Gordon Center for Performing Arts and JCC Arts & Culture Department seeks Program Coordinator

Gordon Center for Performing Arts and JCC Arts & Culture Department seeks Program Coordinator

Gordon Center for Performing Arts and JCC Arts & Culture Department seeks Program Coordinator

Here at UMBC we often like to take the time to recognize those alums that have gone above and beyond the call of duty. This week we are featuring Lieutenant Colonel Raymond J. Placiente of the Marine Corps ’92, computer science and Staff Sergeant Martin Mann ’15, social work of the U.S. Army Reserve who have made invaluable strides for our country while doing the name of UMBC proud.

Martin Mann ’15, social work, shares about his experience as a student at UMBC’s Shady Grove campus and his military career at Chancellor Kirwan’s retirement celebration. Staff Sergeant Mann spoke before an audience at Chancellor Kirwan’s retirement where he tells his story of the challenges that being a non-traditional student has had on his education but also the empowerment and support he has received from the Universities at Shady Grove, UMBC. He says that choosing to attend UMBC at Shady Grove was one of the best decisions he has ever made.

View his speech.

Raymond J. Placiente ’92, computer science, discusses the transformation of the Low Altitude Air Defense Command in the Marines. Lieutenant Colonel Placiente talks about how supporting the infantry is a key component to achieve success within LAAD and the need to invoke change by the introduction of new technologies in order to combat threats made against the country.

Read the full article.

Have a story of your own to share? Tell us about it in a class note.