Use of Biological Systems to Monitor for Illicit Nuclear Activity

Diagnosis of activity associated with the development and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) challenges current methods and instrumentation, particularly in the context of broad area, persistent surveillance and under certain operational conditions of interest to the non-proliferation community. Commonly-used techniques may not be sufficiently refined to determine timing and quantity of effluent release or to reliably detect specific constituents uniquely associated with processes of interest. The combination of variable biotic and abiotic conditions in a given environment further confounds adequate characterization. The development of novel detection systems will facilitate analysis of proliferation activities not readily discernible by current methods of monitoring. These detection systems can provide orthogonal surveillance tools to aid intelligence analysis and identify sites where illicit activities occur. Biosystems can supplement existing or provide wholly new approaches for both environmental monitoring and more targeted campaigns. In particular, identification and characterization of biologically- and chemically-induced biological responses can provide orthogonal methods of detection where the environmental fate and chemistries produce inconclusive signatures, analyte levels are below mechanical limits of detection, or conventional physicochemical tracers are sample limited. A wide range of flora and fauna can act as natural pre-concentrators by continually collecting and concentrating materials from the environment. Collection and analysis of biomaterials from known concentrators can supplement other forms of analysis. Biochemical, genetic, and other changes to biota in matrices which are routinely sampled can indicate the presence of contaminants. For example, functional and community-level changes to microbiomes in water, soil, and sediment could provide information on periodic or chronic presence of environmental stressors associated with suspect processes. Other approaches may include the manipulation and manufacture of specific biosystems or their components to create new detection motifs that meet necessary size, weight, and power requirements for clandestine monitoring. Potential solutions offered by biological architectures are numerous.