Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS)
Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS) : "About seven years ago, Livermore researchers received seed funding from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program to develop an instrument that counters bioterrorism by providing a rapid early warning system for pathogens, such as anthrax. See: S&TR, January/February 2002, Rapid Field Detection of Biological Agents. That instrument, the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS), is now ready for deployment to better protect the public from a bioaerosol attack, and the development team has been honored with a 2004 R&D 100 Award. The lectern-size APDS can be placed in airports, office buildings, performing arts centers, mass transit systems, sporting arenas-anywhere an attack might be launched. APDS was designed to get results fast and get them right, without false positives. Biological scientist Richard Langlois, who spearheaded the APDS development effort, explains, "The system provides results on the spot. Faster results allow a faster emergency response, which in the end means saving lives. The Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS) monitors the air continuously for biological threat agents and uses two identification technologies to reduce the probability of false alarms. It can measure up to 100 different agents per sample and reports identified agents within an hour". (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, "Detecting Bioaerosols When Time is of the Essence," Science & Technology, October 8, 2004)
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