In testimony to the Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack Wednesday, experts warned the United States must change its biological defense systems in order to prevent future terrorist attacks using biological weapons.

Roger Brent, director and president of The Molecular Sciences Institute, told the subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security that current fixed measures of defense were insufficient because new and altered biological weapons could circumvent known defenses.

"It is important, therefore, to move the U.S. defense posture from one mainly based on fixed defenses against known or knowable threats to one that is complemented by flexible detection of new threats and agile responses to them," he said.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) expressed concern over the current state of defense technology as representatives questioned the panelists. "The most important thing we can do in this country is to have a capable task force to prevent an attack, and the consequence of having that is huge when it comes to biological warfare," he said.

The effects of an attack could vary broadly depending on the substance and the method of dissemination, experts said. Particularly worrisome was the potential for the pathogen or chemical used to be contagious as this would exacerbate the range of the substance.

Chemical weapons, which are usually man made, must be produced in large quantities but have an almost immediate effect. Biological weapons are most often naturally occurring pathogens and sometimes require long periods of time for incubation before the symptoms present themselves.

However, panelists warned that as science progressed the manner of defense needed to protect the population from new deadly weapons and adapted and modernized versions of established substances was not enough.

"Next-generation biological weapons are those that benefit from new technologies, those made from previously unknown infectious agents or biological toxins, and those where a traditional agent is dramatically altered by the addition of a high-tech capability," said Michael Callahan, director of the Biological Threat Defense & Mass Casualty Care at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology.

In the move from a Cold War weapons technology that pitted the former Soviet Union against the United States, there seems to be a new paradigm for weapons defense. Instead of state-sponsored development, terrorist groups now pose the biggest threat as potential attackers.

However, Ken Alibek, Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at George Mason University, said that the threat of new weaponry getting into the hands of terrorists was still unlikely.

"Groups that are not state sponsored do not have the level of scientific sophistication needed to develop such pathogens at this point of time," he said. But he warned that "it is important to recognize that it could be a threat in the future."

But there are gaps in the bio-defense plan that relay uncertainty about the large number of unresolved issues, including understanding what the realistic threats are, determining the most probable way the weapons would be deployed, and the projected consequences of such an action, the committee was told.

Experts have suggested aerosol deployments that would spread airborne disease and infect many, though the exact number is one of the problems facing the specialists. Because there is uncertainty about what weapons terrorists have access to, and the technology for dissemination they possess, it is difficult to run simulations, although many have been carried out.

There is also the problem of assessing what damage they might do to civilian populations. One panelist said that most potential casualty research conducted in the past was simulated assuming assaults on the military with average ages from 18-50. However given terrorists penchant for civilian attacks the number of those infected would likely be higher due to a greater age disparity and a varying health demographic.

These issues present those researching in the field with a new paradigm, one which scientists and government officials will have to adapt to.

"Although it is a good thing we have enough smallpox vaccine, and that we are working on a more modern anthrax vaccine, it's important to remember that stockpiles of vaccines and drugs are fixed defenses against known threats," said Brent.

Because adversaries can and will outflank these defenses, stockpiled defenses against specific threats will not be effective, he said.

Congressman and panelists urged more united efforts from the academic, scientific and public and private sectors in achieving results to ensure safety and avoid an attack.

"If it can be constructively engaged, it is entirely capable of protecting against the current challenges. But engaging this community and constructing this defense is a problem of such gravity and complexity that it will require research and development and policy efforts sustained over decades," Brent said.

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