One somewhat unexpected benefit of continued global concern regarding the threat posed by H5N1 avian influenza, is the emergence of many new technologies for managing the H5N1 threat, and responding to H5N1 disease outbreaks. Some of these technologies are the direct result of government investment in the research and development for specific countermeasures. We probably would not, for example, have viable H5N1 vaccine had the US government not been willing to commit in advance to a substantial purchase of H5N1 vaccine, thus in effect, funding the required R&D effort.

But not all new technologies emerge directly from research and development. Many are the result of ingenious people seeing how existing technologies developed for other purposes, can be put to use to respond to a specific threat. For these technology innovators, H5N1 has provided a focus and an incentive for the development of innovative, new technology applications. Fortunately, many of these applications may ultimately have very broad utility – well beyond their envisioned H5N1 use.

This bio-era teleconference highlights the emergence of several of these new technology applications, and discusses their practical adoption in the fight against H5N1 and pandemic influenza, while exploring how they might be deployed against the broader problem of managing and responding to infectious disease.