Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and American Biophysics Corp. Sign Cooperative Agreement to Research Biting Insect-Related Problems.

WASHINGTON & NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- First Partnership Initiative to Focus on Iraqi Sandfly Threat

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), the preeminent laboratory in the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and American Biophysics Corporation (ABC), a biotechnology company and manufacturer of the Mosquito Magnet(R) Advanced Mosquito Defense Systems(TM), today announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to evaluate technologies that address the military's specific insect-related needs, especially issues presented by disease-carrying insects, including complications of the Iraqi sandfly threat plaguing U.S. troops overseas.

Mosquito-borne illnesses infect about 700 million people each year worldwide(1). Insect-borne diseases pose a significant threat to U.S. military forces deployed worldwide and more effective surveillance and control methods are needed to protect them. In dozens of countries, U.S. troops are exposed to a variety of insect-related diseases including malaria, dengue, yellow fever and most recently, leishmaniasis, a virulent parasitic infection transmitted by sandflies. To date, there have been 522 confirmed infections among U.S. Military personnel stationed in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Southwest/Central Asia. Worldwide more than 1.5 - 2 million people contract leishmaniasis infections each year(2).

"The U.S. Military is always looking for methods to protect our troops at home and abroad," says Lieutenant Colonel Russell Coleman, Assistant Chief, Department of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "We look forward to our partnership with American Biophysics in the evaluation of insect surveillance tools and control devices. We hope our joint efforts help the U.S. military address biting insect challenges around the globe."

Under the terms of the CRADA, ABC and the WRAIR will collaborate to test the efficacy of American Biophysics' insect traps, attractants, and other technologies in laboratory and field conditions. The ultimate goal of the CRADA is to identify more effective tools and technologies for the military to conduct surveillance and to control biting insects.

Since 1991, ABC has been researching, developing, and providing biting-insect surveillance and control solutions for entomologists, state departments of environmental management and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1998, the company was first-to-market with a consumer-based application for its patented Mosquito Magnet(R) trap, the only device scientifically proven to dramatically reduce mosquitoes from a defined area (i.e., yards, neighborhoods, golf courses, etc).

"We have already made remarkable advancements in developing technologies to combat biting insects and are thrilled to be working with the U.S. Military to test effective biting insect solutions to meet their needs," says Raymond Iannetta, president and CEO of American Biophysics Corporation. "Our company is creating several unprecedented new insect defense technologies and we are confident that our efforts will make a significant impact on insect control worldwide."

ABC is the only commercial company and one of only a handful of scientific institutions in the world that has the technology to research mosquitoes down to a single neuron to determine how they navigate. This process, along with other specialized testing, enables them to isolate, synthesize and manufacture, for practical application, the world's most advanced species-specific lures and insect defense systems. Recently, American Biophysics launched the first-ever, EPA registered species-specific attractant, Lurex(TM), designed for the Asian Tiger mosquito and the Aedes aegypti species, potential carriers of dengue fever, LaCrosse Encephalitis and West Nile virus.

About Cooperative Research and Development Agreements

A CRADA is a legal agreement between a federal laboratory and a nonfederal organization to conduct specified research or development efforts that are consistent with the missions of the federal agency. These collaborative partnerships provide an opportunity for premier institutions to work with the government to provide solutions to issues that are being faced by the U.S. Military worldwide.

About Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

The world renowned Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the largest, most diverse, and oldest laboratory in the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, conducts research on a range of militarily relevant issues, including naturally occurring infectious diseases, combat casualty care, operational health hazards, and medical defense against biological and chemical weapons. WRAIR is the Department of Defense's lead agency for infectious disease research and a crucial source of research support for medical product development.

About American Biophysics Corporation

American Biophysics, founded in 1991 and headquartered in North Kingstown, RI, is a biotechnology company that uses science and innovation to develop and manufacture practical applications for new technologies that address biting insect problems around the world. Ranked America's fastest growing private company by Inc. magazine, American Biophysics is the creator and manufacturer of the Mosquito Magnet(R) product line, the world's original and only scientifically proven advanced insect defense system that virtually eliminates biting insects in a defined area.

(1) Centers for Disease Control

(2) Ibid