MHSS 2020 Focused Study on Biotechnology & Nanotechnology, 29 July 1997.

摘要

This document is a product of MHS 2020 MHS 2020 is a project of the Military Health System (MHS) which envisions potential future conditions to enable today's MHS decision makers to make the best possible policy and resource decisions. This focused study on biotechnology and nanotechnology has two primary goals: (1) examine the future strategic impact of biotechnology and nanotechnology as it relates to the military health system, and (2) develop a set of strategic recommendations related to biotechnology and nanotechnology for consideration by the senior leadership of the MHS. The study presents forecasts addressing potential impacts of biotechnology on disease detection and diagnosis, treatment and prevention, agriculture and environmental technologies, nanaotechnology and other areas of military significance. Examples of forecasts of the impact of biotechnology and nanotechnology that directly affect health include: (1) disease detection and diagnosis: Commercial production of inexpensive, hand-held biosensors to detect disease; development of biosensors which will eliminate the need for facility infrastructure such as laboratories; development of gene chips for analyzing the distinctive pattern of genes active in different diseases and for individual genetic profiling; (2) treatment: tailoring of therapies to individual biochemistry; development of new generations of antibiotics to address resistant bacteria; gene therapy development; expansion of immunotherapy treatment; and (3) prevention: development of DNA vaccines.