Sandia has a dynamic biological research mission that addresses important national security challenges. Sandia’s research in two strategic areas—biomanufacturing and biodefense—aims to provide biological solutions to critical challenges in energy and homeland security.
Why Our Work Matters
Sandia’s research in these areas:
Develops a deep understanding of biological systems and the ability to predict and control their behaviors
Ensures energy security
Protects our environment
Strengthens our nation’s defense against biological threats
Our Unique Value
Our researchers work in multidisciplinary teams that integrate strengths in synthetic biology and gene-editing, infectious disease technology, computational biology and bioinformatics, microfluidics and microsystems, and pre-treatment science and engineering. Drawing on the combined knowledge and ideas of a larger community of experts allows Sandia to develop diverse capabilities and enable powerful solutions.
The ABL located in Livermore, CA focuses on energy security, confronting the risks of global warming and biosecurity research focused on reducing threats from infectious diseases and biological weapons.
The FACT site provides the equipment and seismically quiet surroundings required for testing infrasound and seismic sensors, instrumentation, and monitoring systems.
JBEI is a DOE Bioenergy Research Center dedicated to developing advanced biofuels—liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass that can replace gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels.
Bioscience & Medical • Portable fentanyl detection technology offers unmatched sensitivity and enhanced safety for first responders, military, and law enforcement personnel Business Problem Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is the leading cause of death...
Bioscience & Medical • Degrade plastic waste materials to valuable chemicals, food sources and renewable energy related products using a catalytic oxidative process. Transforming plastic waste to value-added components such as fuels, chemicals, or...
Bioscience & Medical • Nanobodies capable of penetrating the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) can act aseffective shuttles to convey chemical and biological therapeutics with targetedspecificity to the central nervous system (CNS). The biomedical community has...
Bioscience & Medical • New and improved approaches to rapidly test and certify respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE) can ensure widespread availability and reliable protection from airborne pathogens. Business Problem During the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Bioscience & Medical • A method to generate oxidized lignin with specified carboxylic acid content and molecular weight that can be used in various types of polymer products. The valorization of lignin has faced...
Bioscience & Medical • A new approach for combating infectious disease at lower dose frequencies and amounts by directly delivering enhanced potency therapeutics Immunohistochemistry (IHC) readout of nanobodylocalization and specificity within the lung tissue...
Bioscience & Medical • Engineered viruses and phages capable of targeting pathogenic bacterium Pathogenic bacteria have been gradually developing resistance to known antibiotics, which could thwart the effort of preventing catastrophic bacterial outbreak infections....
Bioscience & Medical • A computing hardware approach that aspires to emulate the brain. Ruthenium-based Prussian blue analogue for artificial synapses have transformational potential in neuroprosthetics, brain disease diagnostics, and ubiquitous edge computing. In...
Bioscience & Medical • Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with Mayo Clinic has developed a rapidly producible, reusable N95 respirator mask designed for medical use Significant shortages in the supply and availability of medical-grade...
Bioscience & Medical • A high-quality feedstock to address scaling and sustainability challenges associated with the growing global demand for protein Global demand for high quality digestible protein is expected to substantially outpace population...
Bioscience & Medical • Highly potent SARS-CoV-2 antibodies show pre-clinical efficacy and delayed disease progression The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for the global community to rapidly acquire a diverse arsenal of prevention...
Bioscience & Medical • ViralFx is an integrated approach to the diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 that is accurate, rapid, repeatable, and easily deployed In pandemic scenarios, the capacity to complete laboratory diagnostic tests...
Bioscience & Medical • RetSynth is a comprehensive tool for rapidly identifying all optimal and sub-optimal pathways for the bioproduction of high value target compounds The successful biological production of high value target compounds...
Bioscience & Medical • Sandia’s QUASR modification to LAMP helps satisfy the requirements for a simple, robust, and inexpensive point-of-care deployed diagnostic device Rapid changes in how the world must react to pandemics has...
Bioscience & Medical • CRISPR Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated protein 9) is a protein that plays an important role in immunological defense of bacteria against DNA viruses. A CRISPR-Cas based...
Bioscience & Medical • Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a smartphone-controlled, battery-operated point-of-care diagnostic device that weighs under a pound, costs as little as $100 and can detect Zika and other vector-borne...
Bioscience & Medical • A high-sensitivity X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging system for non-destructive 2D radiography and 3D tomography of low-density composite materials Sandia National Laboratories has developed a high-sensitivity X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCI)...
Bioscience & Medical • Engineers at Sandia Labs have invented the only fully Automated Gloving System to prepare and dispense gloves for quick application while reducing the potential for contact contamination. Dust and particulate...
Bioscience & Medical • Increases in bioethanol production throughout the US has led to an increase in the process co-product—distillers grains with solubles (DGS). DGS can be used to feed livestock, however, product inconsistency...
Bioscience & Medical • Sandia’s mini-PDID makes it possible to diagnose illnesses by identifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with certain diseases and infections on a patient’s breath or in the headspace of biological...
Bioscience & Medical • Decades of widespread antibiotic use has created antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of...
Bioscience & Medical • Traditional zoom imaging requires the mechanical movement of two or more optical elements along the optical axis, as is done in 35mm cameras or conventional, variable-power riflescopes. Adaptive zoom is...
Bioscience & Medical • Highly uniform magnetic nanoparticles are highly desirable for numerous applications including medical imaging, chemical manufacturing, and development of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, achieving nanoparticles with a small size...
Bioscience & Medical • Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created a sophisticated, integrated platform for single-cell manipulation and interrogation. Called Microscale Immune and Cell Analysis (MICA), this platform represents a revolutionary breakthrough in...
Bioscience & Medical • Sandia's chemical analysis system can rapidly detect and analyze toxic agents such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa Sandia National Laboratories has developed a compact, hand-held detection system that places the...
Bioscience & Medical • Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed an innovative technique for conducting simultaneous multiplexed immunoassays and white blood cell counts from a single finger prick of whole blood with less...
Bioscience & Medical • The Rapid, Automated Point-of-Care System (RapiDx) developed by Sandia National Laboratories is a portable diagnostic instrument. RapiDx quickly measures--with high sensitivity--disease and toxin biomarkers in human biological samples (e.g., blood,...
Bioscience & Medical • Many microfluidics systems use electrokinetic (EK) pumping of fluid. These applications generally require high voltage at a low current. Sandia has developed two custom power supply designs with miniaturization, modularity,...
Bioscience & Medical • In a technological breakthrough, Sandia researchers have developed polymer microvalves to allow fluids to be shuttled as easily in microfluidic chips as they are on a laboratory benchtop. The valves...
Bioscience & Medical • Sandia researchers have developed a technology that could potentially turn agricultural waste, weeds, and other plant products that are typically discarded or destroyed into fuel. The idea is to create...
Bioscience & Medical • Semipermeable silicon nitride membranes developed using an etch process for co-manufacture on a micromachined silicon surface There is a need for a co-fabricated filtration system for enhancement of reliability and...
