Release date: 2015-06-19

Currently, the US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pushing for biological research, but some scientists question whether its high-risk approach will work.

DARPA-funded, bionic prosthesis developed by Johns Hopkins University

When Geoffrey Ling mentioned the future of technology, his concept was arrogant. Ling eagerly portrays a world in which people live longer than natural lengths, and awareness can be downloaded to external "hard drives." "In the next 20 years, our brains will be able to rotate at high speed. We have entered this field."

Ling, who has received neurology training, is also the head of the first biofund office of an army colonel and the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA's Biotechnology Office (BTO), launched in April 2014, is dedicated to supporting a variety of technical ideas, from dynamic exoskeletons designed for soldiers to brain implants that control mental illness. DARPA's plans in other areas are equally "crazy."

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, before the United States. One year later, the United States established DARPA, whose mission is to prevent such sudden events from happening again. As a result, BTO project managers are free to invest millions of dollars in bold projects without complex processes such as peer review. Moreover, by working closely with applicants during the technology development phase, the organization aims to help technology overcome the dangers of death – from basic research to commercial applications.

And this aggressive and high-risk strategy has been amazingly successful, the most famous of which is the Internet technology that the agency developed in the 1970s. These successes have greatly inspired a series of imitators such as the Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E). ARPA-E is primarily focused on funding high-risk alternative energy research.

However, some people suspect that DARPA's full-speed forward mode can also be applied to the field of biology. They believe that life systems are more complex and there are a large number of variables that are unknown or difficult to control and design. Moreover, because the institution's biological research is directly applicable to humans, relevant research is full of ethical concerns. For example, synthetic organics intended to produce greener biofuels may also produce explosives, and brain stimulation techniques for treating the wounded may also be used to increase combat effectiveness.

Edward Hammond, a Texas bioinvestancy consultant, wondered if DARPA was upset when approaching researchers. "You don't know what DARPA really thinks." He said, "They are very good at finding people who can solve their problems."

Even so, many biologists are still willing to get funding from the Department of Defense (DOD) for innovative programs such as developing better repair techniques and improving mental health therapy. Ling stressed that DARPA understands these concerns: each project of BTO has a bioethics advisory committee. In addition, he said that if fantasy biotechnology is inevitable, then DARPA's job is to invest in them and speed up the development process.

“Some people think this is terrible,” he said. “But I think it’s exciting.”

Rapid response

Since 2001, DARPA has embraced biological science. At that time, the anthrax virus was sent to the media office and members of Congress, sparking public panic about bioterrorism. Subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq prompted the agency to fund neurology, psychology, and brain-computer interfaces to help injured veterans. By 2013, the number of bio-related projects increased, and DARPA decided to strengthen these programs. Naturally, Ling, then deputy director of the DARPA Science Department, took over the new office and $288 million in annual funding.

George Dyson, a Washington-based scientific historian, said that the office would certainly speed up research, one of the reasons being the military culture of completing tasks quickly. Looking at the ongoing projects of DARPA, such as computers, "the military always quickly funds what they are interested in." .

A good example is DARPA's response to President Obama's proposed brain innovation program in 2013. The program is a high-profile multi-agency collaboration program dedicated to understanding brain circuits. Before the introduction of the fund allocation program, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent several months designing a 10-year strategic plan, and the Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a related research project competition. DARPA quickly pooled $50 million in funding for several five-year projects.

Currently, these projects have been handed over to the BTO. For example, a project called "Restoring Fast Storage" is dedicated to developing a stimulus device that helps brain-damaged soldiers recover their memory. Another project, called SUBNETS, is developing a brain implant that can treat seven psychiatric disorders and neurological disorders. As a first step, these two projects will monitor brain activity in patients with epilepsy who have received temporary electrode implantation. These electrodes are implanted into the patient's initial position of seizure. Researchers require patients to perform memory training or perform memory tasks involving neural pathways—which may be compromised by addiction or depression, and document circuit patterns.

But it still takes time to succeed. "There is no doubt that this is a very ambitious plan." Edward Chang, a joint surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, said that "I don't think anyone will be naive to think that these problems can be easily solved in the next five years." ."

Unique mode

In addition, DARPA's funding process is also uncomfortable for researchers who are accustomed to the meticulous peer review process of the general organization. At DARPA, most of the power belongs to project managers, who are between academic institutions, industry, and the army, land, and air forces. They can also design innovative projects on their own, invite researchers to apply for the project, and choose the teams they think might accomplish their goals. They will then work with the researcher during the implementation process to guide the project process.

DARPA will strictly require the work of its recipients, and once the timetable is not completed, the funds will be cut quickly. For example, in 2007, DARPA began a project called RealNose: the development of artificial dog noses with olfactory receptors to detect odorous items such as chemical weapons. But three years later, after learning that the receptor protein was too unstable at room temperature, the agency killed the project.

Alicia Jackson, deputy director of the BTO, said that researchers following DARPA arrangements are usually free to publish their results, and very few projects will be classified as secret. But DARPA recipients also have to give up some freedom: for example, if they accidentally find interesting problems during the development process, they can't continue research with DARPA funding.

“Initially, it was a cultural change,” said Emad Eskandar, a neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the SUBNETS project leaders. However, he and his companion, neurologist Darin Dougherty, believe that DARPA's supervision can make the project work better. “This helps us focus on the project and keep moving forward,” Dougherty said.

Entering the biological field

Of course, Ling is determined to prove that the DARPA model can also be applied to the biological sciences. One of the things that he relished was the bionic prosthesis. The prosthesis was developed by DARPA in collaboration with biotechnology company DEKA to obtain electrical impulse signals from the motor cortex of the brain and then translate these signals into appropriate behavior. It helps the wearer to perform complex tasks such as soft fruit and rock climbing.

Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the device, and DEKA said it is currently undergoing commercial production. DARPA has also collaborated with institutions such as Johns Hopkins University to develop similar prostheses. All of these prostheses are being tested in patients with epilepsy, so that brain implants can translate their intentions into electrical impulse signals that govern the prosthesis.

The BTO also took over DARPA's health programs, including attempts to implant antibacterial drugs into bacteria that prey on other bacteria. Other projects have more obvious military uses, such as exoskeletons that increase the strength and speed of soldiers. A project called “narrative network” is studying how the brain responds to different stories and orders, which will help persuade the affected villagers to receive assistance from the US military or to force terrorists out of the organization.

Ling and colleagues have the idea that the more out of reality, the better. “We are looking for ways to say 'yes' instead of 'no',” he said.

But for all of these breakthroughs, there is no evidence that DARPA's rapid follow-up approach is more advantageous than peer-reviewed screening. Moreover, unlike organizations such as NSF and NIH, DARPA will not disclose its funding and will not conduct internal analysis to determine whether the project manager has selected the best team and funded the best science.

But if DARPA does not slow down to assess its success, will it assess the impact of its project on society? Ling said yes, and pointed out that ethicists will guide the BTO project. Despite this, researchers still have doubts. Curtis Bell, a retired neuroscientist at the Oregon Health and Science University, fears that techniques such as brain stimulation will be used to control humans, similar to the prefrontal lobectomy used to deal with troubled prisoners in the mid-20th century.

But Ling believes that DARPA needs to jump out of the controversy without hesitation: if the US does not do this, others will do the same. "The only thing we can do is to do this. To some extent, we have to think about how to mitigate their negative consequences."

Ling said he plans to expand his office further next year to get amazing discoveries in other areas. Currently, BTO has 11 project managers who specialize in innovations from infectious diseases to natural ecosystems and try to expand into more distant areas such as paleontology and astronomy. Ling said that an asteroid expert will be able to help develop projects to address the threat of outer space and find signs of life on other planets. “There is no doubt that this will be the most exciting science news in human history. I also hope that it is funded by DARPA,” he said.

Source: Chinese Journal of Science

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