1. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) - Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) Overview for APORA April Dr. Ada A. Bacetty Deputy Program Manager CBEP, DTRA
Distribution A – Approved for Public Release

2. Biosecurity & Biosafety
CBEP Mission
Reduce the threat posed by pathogens and diseases of security concern, related materials and expertise, and by terrorist acquisition and use of biological weapons.
Biosurveillance
Biosecurity & Biosafety

3. CBEP Objectives
Dismantle, destroy, and prevent the sale, theft, diversion, or use of stockpiles of biological weapons (BW), means of delivery, and BW-related equipment, technology, and infrastructure
Enhance partner country/region’s capability to identify, consolidate, and secure collections of pathogens and diseases of security concern in order to prevent the sale, theft, diversion, or accidental release of such pathogens and diseases
Enhance partner country/region’s biosurveillance capability to:
Rapidly and accurately survey, detect, diagnose, and report biological terrorism and outbreaks of pathogens and diseases of security concern
Meet international reporting requirements
CBEP Program Mission:
Reduce the threat posed by especially dangerous pathogens and related materials and expertise; other emerging infectious disease risks; terrorist acquisition and use of biological weapons.
To accomplish its mission, CBEP strengthens:
Biosurveillance (BSV) of public health and veterinary health systems to detect, diagnose and report infectious disease outbreaks; and
Biosafety and Biosecurity (BS&S) by securing collections of especially dangerous pathogens into a minimal number of safe and secure facilities; support transparent practices and reporting; and provide technical consultations, risk assessments, and trainings that build human capacity and internal expertise to create a sustainable culture of laboratory biorisk management
CBEP utilizes cooperative biological research projects to assist the BSV and BS&S focus areas by encouraging transparency in all functional areas of human and veterinary networks, and integrates partner country scientists and institutes into the international scientific community.

4. CBEP US Interagency Partners
NAMRU-2
NAMRU-3
NMRC
WRAIR
USAMRIID
CDC
State
Department
USDA
DOE
USAID

5. CBEP Global Collaborators
Along with the US interagency, CBEP works with global collaborators to promote international standards, regulations, and guidelines related to biological threat reduction and global health security:
Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP)
World Health Organization (WHO)
International Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
European Committee for Standardization (CEN)

6. Current and Emerging CBEP Engagements
EUCOM
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Ukraine
AFRICOM
Cameroon
Côte d'Ivoire
Ethiopia
Gabon
Guinea
Kenya
Liberia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
CENTCOM
Afghanistan
Iraq
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Pakistan
Uzbekistan
In Fiscal Year 2014 and early 2015, CBEP and its partners worked closely together to enhance biosurveillance, biosafety, and biosecurity throughout the Africa continent for example:
(Ethiopia) CBEP awarded a contract to provide laboratory design and master planning expertise to the Ethiopia Public Health Institute that will guide Ethiopia, set the standards for future growth, and ensure laboratory designs meet international BS&S best practices
(Kenya) CBEP finalized designs for the proposed Sample Management and Receiving Facility at the Kenya Medical Research Institute; once constructed, the facility will provide a centralized repository for the Government of Kenya to consolidate pathogens of security concern to a single, secured location
(Uganda) CBEP awarded a contract to implement BS&S upgrades, renovations, and training in Uganda; these upgrades will strengthen regional and national level laboratories capacity to strengthen existing diagnostic and surveillance capabilities
(Tanzania) CBEP completed a Disease Surveillance System Plan that baselines the United Republic of Tanzania’s current disease surveillance capabilities and will lead to a system engineering and transparent approach to future engagement planning
(South Africa) CBEP continued to deploy and operationalize Pathogen Asset Control System (PACS) in South Africa and trained an additional 56 users in FY14; PACS is quickly becoming the primary pathogen tracking system at major institutions in South Africa
PACOM
Cambodia
India
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam

7. Biosafety and Biosecurity (BS&S)
Consolidate and Secure Pathogens
Biosecurity: focus on pathogen collections, the security measures protecting them, and the regulatory framework governing them
Consolidate collections to a minimum number of locations
Laboratory pathogen inventory control
Sustainable physical security upgrades to facilities; laboratory access controls
Improve security practices and policies (i.e. personnel reliability)
Address insider and outsider threat
Biosafety: focus on reducing the risk of laboratory acquired infections and improving regulatory framework involving research with infectious agents
Provide consultation on regulatory framework
Sustainable upgrades to facilities and lab/safety equipment
Improved biosafety practices and procedures
Biosafety and Security (BS&S) training 7

8. Enhance Biosurveillance
Improve detection, diagnosis, and reporting outbreaks on pathogens of security concern
Minimize bio-safety level and pathogen storage requirements
Focus on major population centers and endemic disease, vector, and threat locations
Training to build human resource capacity
Ensure biosurveillance systems are sustainable 8 8

9. Cooperative Projects to Exercise Focus Areas
CBEP also supports cooperative research projects aimed to:
Improve understanding and capacity to reduce biological threats
Promote the One Health initiative
Foster an international culture of responsible and ethical conduct in biological research
Ensure research results are published in peer reviewed journals

10. CBEP Support of the Ebola Outbreak
DTRA/CBEP FLEXIBILITY ALLOWS RAPID SUPPORT TO EVENTS OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN
Supplied critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), laboratory equipment, and assays to the region
Promptly deployed a transportable diagnostic laboratory to meet immediate needs in Sierra Leone
Procured and delivered respective equipment and materials needed to operate two mobile labs in Liberia and the Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research diagnostic lab
Leveraged existing relationships with numerous USG and international partners to conduct urgent laboratory support, trainings, and preparedness workshops/meetings
DTRA/CBEP is uniquely positioned to rapidly deploy subject matter experts, equipment, and materials to bolster disease detection, surveillance, and response while promoting biosafety and biosecurity best practices during events of international security concern
Since March 2014, CBEP has collaborated with both other USG Departments and Agencies and international partners and organizations to address the West African Ebola outbreak.
CBEP began procuring personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory supplies and equipment, and assays to send to the region to assist with rapidly and accurately diagnosing and reporting Ebola disease cases in a safe manner.
In addition, CBEP provided financial support to the WHO to support the provision of PPE, infection prevention and control (IPC) training, and the WHO’s Emerging Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network.
Additionally, CBEP supported the deployment of two mobile diagnostic laboratories in Liberia and one transportable diagnostic laboratory in Sierra Leone. CBEP also supported diagnostic laboratory operations at a fixed facility in the Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research.
While the aforementioned work was primarily focused on Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, CBEP has also worked closely with other USG partners to provide trainings and workshops. For instance, CBEP supported a Preparedness Workshop in Cameroon, facilitated by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention to identify gaps and gain practical knowledge in health preparedness. CBEP also supported Incident Management Systems Training in Cameroon facilitated by DTRA’s CBRN Preparedness Program (CP2), as well as an Inter-Ministerial review of Senegal’s Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan with AFRICOM and CP2.
It is important to remember that in addition to CBEP’s ability to respond flexibly to emerging nuclear, chemical, or biological threat scenarios, CBEP also has the flexibility to work with both military AND civilian organizations. Thus, this program often works with Ministries of Health and Agriculture.
[Note: CBEP also provided logistics support to diagnostic laboratories and epidemiologists in the affected countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. This logistical support was to the Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research (LIBR) via USAMRIID and the Kenema lab/surrounding areas in Sierra Leone via Metabiota to pay for salaries, travel logistics, hotels, etc.] 10

11. Key Takeaways Focused on reducing biological threats
Promotes tenets of the Biological Weapons & Toxins Convention (BWC)
Enhances transparency and confidence building
Enhance host nation disease surveillance (capability building)
Supports adherence to international codes of conduct, security, and safety
Provide mechanism for sustained engagement

12. Questions?