B-LiFE - Biological Light Fieldable Laboratory for Emergencies –
Phase II /Demonstration Phase/ESA IAP/ARTES20
(2014-2017)Mostafa BENTAHIR, Nicolas DUBOIS, Jean-Luc GALA, Jean-Paul MARCEL, Leonid IRENGE, Olga VYBORNOVA Consortium: CTMA (Coordinator), Aurea Imaging (Belgium), nazka mapps (Belgium), SES TechCom (Bezdorf – Grand Duchy of Luxemburg) Phase II / Demonstration Phase aims at delivering a demonstrator at the highest Technology Readiness Level (TRL 9).
The successful management of sanitary crises such as CBRN threats, life threatening emerging diseases, outbreaks in remote areas, relies on the ability to perform rapid detection and identification of pathogens. National and international agencies dealing with the response to bio-security crises will need mobile laboratory capacities rapidly deployed close to the crisis area, autonomous and transmission and geo-location capabilities.
The B-LiFE project motivation is to bring the diagnostic capacity as close as possible to the crisis area, thus providing an essential element of the fast response. The B-LiFE project is adding to the bio-laboratory a set of space technologies and functions improving considerably the quality of the offered services: satellite telecommunications to communicate with the distant reach back home base laboratory, stakeholders and end users, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) for geo-location and Earth Observation for site selection and monitoring.
B-LiFE – Integration of Space Assets to a Biological Laboratory
The proposed B-LiFE system will deliver its services to the end-user based on geographical distant units: the light mobile field laboratory B-LiFE on one side and various local and distant command and control centers on the other, representing the backend of the applications and services connecting on the one hand to additional medical / biological expertise and on the other hand to local/regional/national emergency response authorities.
B-LiFE - Transmission flow between the Sampling Team,
the CTMA Crisis Center and the Mobile Laboratory
The demonstration phase methodology aims to develop and/or integrate stepwise each sub-system of the B-LiFE system in order to reach at the end of the process a full validated demonstrator at a maturity level TRL (technology readiness Level) 9. Step-wise validation against the specified B-LiFE performance requirements will be applied during the Pre-operational Pilots on the field in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Pre-operational Pilots will allow to demonstrate that integration of three categories of space assets (satellite communication, satellite navigation and EO/GIS) to a laboratory platform will result in a highly performant field capacity for rapid assessment of bio-threats anywhere in the world.
The main tasks of Phase II will focus on development/integration of satellite communication and navigation tools, integration of laboratory and mission management software into communication systems for interoperability purposes, operational site selection and monitoring, optional UAVs, development of inactivation system for biological samples, possible transfer and integration of technologies developed for space applications for power supply, portable glovebox and reduction of cold chain dependency.
Following international request assistance and approval of the Belgian government authorities, the B-LiFE laboratory has been deployed since 20 December 2014 up to 30 march 2015 in Guinea (NZEREKORE) as part of the humanitarian assistance protocol B-FAST (Belgian First Aid and Support Team).
B-LiFE / B-FAST Team departing to Conakry
at MELSBROECK (Belgium) Military Airbase
The B-LiFE laboratory has been deployed in the Ebola Treatment Center NZEREKORE led by the French non-governmental organization ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action). There were actively contributing to the fight against the spread of the Ebola virus in Guinea. B-LiFE mission was focused to quickly identify the virus in biological samples and confirm infection in suspected patients.
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Copernicus Image of B-LiFE deployed within the CTE ALIMA
and close-up on the SatCom Antennae
The mobile laboratory was also actively involved in the evaluation of the effectiveness of a new clinical trial testing the antiviral drug Favipiravir (French INSERM Study "JIGI" meaning "hope" in the local dialect). The aim was to reduce mortality among people infected with Ebola virus. Started on 26th of December 2014 the antiviral - developed by the laboratory Toyama Chemical, a subsidiary of Fujifilm – has fully held its promises (cf INSERM press release, 5th and 15th Feb 2015). There was a 15% reduction in the number of deaths in adults and adolescents with low viral load. The lab was also piloting the evaluation of the Biofire technology, a new extremely rapid diagnostic strategy promoted by Biomerieux.
There was a 15% reduction in the number of deaths in adults and adolescents with low viral load. The lab was also piloting the evaluation of the Biofire technology, a new extremely rapid diagnostic strategy promoted by Biomerieux.
In addition to its rapid diagnostic capacity of Ebola virus, it also featured premium satellite communication capabilities provided by the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg Government emergency.lu that enabled secure communications at very high speed to Belgian and international operational centers. It also has an epidemiological mapping capability of the disease through its collaboration with the European Space Agency, the European Commission (DG ECHO and ERCC) and COPERNICUS.
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B-LiFE Bio Lab with its Staff at work
Cured children after Favipiravir treatment with B-LiFE bio-monitoring