The IU Biotechnology Symposium featured, from left, Russell J. Mumper, IU vice president for research and moderator; Dov Zakheim, a member of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology; U.S. Sen. Todd Young; and Michelle Rozo, vice chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana UniversitySix research teams have been awarded funding for targeted defense-specific biotechnology projects through the Indiana University Applied Research Center and IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences' National Security Biotech for Defense program. The awards were announced at the IU Biotechnology Symposium on Oct. 8 at IU Indianapolis.
The symposium included distinguished guests and focused on the future of biotechnology and its role in advancing national security. Symposium participants joined leaders from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, industry partners, federally focused research organizations and IU leaders to discuss emerging biotechnology priorities, research opportunities and pathways for collaboration. Guests included three commissioners of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology: U.S. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, chair; Michelle Rozo, vice chair; and Dov Zakheim. The 2025 cohort of awardees also provided updates on their projects.
"Biotechnology is critical to our national security, economic competitiveness and quality of life," Young said. "Our National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology laid out a roadmap to ensure the United States leads the next age of biotechnology, and Indiana University is well-positioned to help turn that vision into reality.
"By bringing together talented researchers across disciplines, IU is advancing the kind of innovation that will strengthen America's leadership in this critical field."
Through IU LAB, the IU Applied Research Center and interdisciplinary research initiatives across the university, IU is able to address national biotechnology priorities and cultivate solutions that support scientific advancement, economic competitiveness and national security. The IU ARC and IU LAB National Security Biotech for Defense program builds on the success of the 2025 IU LAB National Security Biotechnology Challenge Grant. That internal funding opportunity, supported by IU Research, selected projects aligned with the six strategic pillars of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.
This second funding opportunity is focused on projects specifically aligned with Pillar 3: Maximize the Benefits of Biotechnology for Defense. The purpose is to prepare IU researchers to utilize the Department of Defense's expanding investments in biotechnology and advance IU ARC's capabilities. It is also intended to support Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane's leadership role in the Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem, which is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense.
"America's academic institutions have long been engines of scientific discovery," Rozo said. "Institutions like Indiana University are critical to translating that discovery into national strength. The IU ARC and IU LAB National Security Biotech for Defense program will help innovators move promising biotechnology breakthroughs from the lab into new capabilities and companies, while strengthening U.S. biotechnology leadership and our national security."
"IU's tremendous research expertise can help address some of the nation's most pressing biotechnology challenges," IU Vice President for Research Russell J. Mumper said. "These awards will move our expertise into defense-relevant applications, strengthen partnerships with key leaders like NSWC Crane, and position IU researchers to secure major federal investments in biotechnology and national security."
- Mangilal Agarwal, professor of biomedical engineering and informatics at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis. Co-led by Agarwal and Mithun Sinha at the IU School of Medicine, the VIBRANT project is developing a novel and non-invasive approach to rapidly detect and monitor wound infections. This technology could ultimately help clinicians and military medical personnel identify infections earlier, track wound status over time and make faster treatment decisions, both in hospitals and in resource-limited or battlefield settings.
- Rudy Banerjee, associate professor of geography in the School of Liberal Arts at IU Indianapolis. Researchers on campus, led by Banerjee in collaboration with Christine Picard and Mohammad Al Hasan, are developing a new kind of battlefield reconnaissance system that pairs small, low-cost disposable drones with living insects to detect hidden biological and chemical threats in dangerous environments where conventional technology fails.
- David Clemmer, Distinguished Professor and the Robert and Marjorie Mann Chair of the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. The Clemmer Group has focused on inventing new technologies to study the structures and stabilities of biological molecules. This work could lead to new strategies for enriching or depleting metals found in the environment, including rare metals of national and commercial importance.
- Bogdan Dragnea, Provost Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. Project NIR-ViCORE Sentinel will harness virus-inspired protein cages to make programmable biological nanoparticles that control light. The project combines protein engineering, chemistry, nanotechnology and advanced optical measurements to create a versatile platform for advanced biological imaging, responding to the federal Next Generation Medical Countermeasures challenge through a modular reporter for rapid environmental bio-surveillance.
- Vikram Jadhao, associate professor of intelligent systems engineering in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Bloomington. This project seeks to engineer cage-shielded enzymes capable of consistent long-term catalytic activity and stability, which will lay the foundation for customized, high-performance enzymatic coatings across a broad range of marine environments and biofouling exposure. This will help prevent the accumulation of plants, algae and microorganisms on ship hulls, bridge pillars and pipelines, which lead to significant economic losses, increased energy consumption and adverse environmental impacts.
- Sébastien Laulhé, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the School of Science at IU Indianapolis. This project aims to develop a new family of fast-curing adhesives built from amino acids, which can be produced by fermentation rather than from petroleum sources. In the long term, such adhesives could be used to close wounds in the field, such as combat injuries where infection is a major threat, and as protective coatings, all made from renewable, domestically produced ingredients.
