Astrobiodefense and the Threats from the Next Frontier in Focus at Next Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Meeting
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ASTROBIODEFENSE AND THE THREATS FROM THE NEXT FRONTIER IN FOCUS
AT NEXT BIPARTISAN COMMISSION ON BIODEFENSE PUBLIC MEETING
Commission Executive Director Asha M. George Also to Deliver First Annual
State of Biodefense Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2025) – Space exploration provides great challenges and even greater opportunities. Research conducted in space, and the human ingenuity that led to walking on the Moon and landing rovers on Mars, have benefited Earth in many ways. But what unforeseen dangers await? That is the focus of the next public meeting of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. Titled, Astrobiodefense: Biological Threats and the Next Frontier, the meeting will feature representatives from NASA, academia, and industry to provide the Commission with a better understanding of current efforts, new scientific advances, and collaborative public-private partnerships to defend against astrobiological threats.
Prior to the start of the astrobiodefense panels, the meeting will begin with Commission Executive Director Dr. Asha M. George delivering the first annual State of Biodefense address. Now 100 days into the second Trump Administration, which through its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has made significant cuts impacting multiple Federal agencies that prepare for and respond to biological incidents affecting national security. Dr. George’s address will provide a clear-eyed examination of biological threats to our Nation and US efforts to address critical capability gaps.
“We look forward to Dr. George’s timely update, as all of us on the Commission have been watching the Administration make – and continue to make – drastic cuts and thinking about the impact of those cuts on public health and safety as they relate to national biodefense,” said Commission Co-Chair and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. “We also are eager to hear from an outstanding group of experts on the issue of astrobiodefense and implications for future space exploration. As we venture further into the unknown, we expose ourselves to new and previously unforeseen dangers.”
The Commission defines astrobiodefense as the defense against biological threats that could result from space exploration. There are two goals: prevent the contamination of extraterrestrial environments with Earth organisms; and prevent extraterrestrial or mutated terrestrial microbes from harming Earth’s inhabitants. Astrobiodefense also encompasses science and technology crossover opportunities that could benefit both space exploration and biodefense capabilities.
The first panel on astrobiodefense will feature remarks by NASA officials: James D. Polk, Chief Health and Medical Officer and J. Nick Benardini, Planetary Protection Officer. Other speakers include: Robert Lindberg, Jr., Committee on Planetary Protection, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Trista Vick-Majors, Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University; Michael Meyer, former Lead Scientist, NASA Mars Exploration Program; Christopher Carr, Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Cassie Conley, former NASA Planetary Protection Officer.
“As fantastical as it may sound, astrobiodefense is neither hypothetical nor fictional. It is a real challenge that requires urgent attention and action,” said Commission Co-Chair and first Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge. “The US needs to invest in research and development of new technologies and medical countermeasures to detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases in space and on Earth. I look forward to hearing from these space experts on how we get there.”
Please visit the events page on the Commission website at this link for the agenda and to register. https://biodefensecommission.org/events/astrobiodefense-biological-threats-and-the-next-frontier/
The meeting will run from 10am to approximately 3:30pm at 20 F Street, NW, Washington, DC. The meeting will NOT be live-streamed.
Editor’s Note: Journalists interested in interviews should contact Steve Aaron at saaron@teamavoq.com.
About the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense was established in 2014 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts, and to issue recommendations to foster change. The Commission’s 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense, identified capability gaps and recommended changes to U.S. policy and law to strengthen national biodefense while optimizing resource investments. Other Commission publications have addressed critical needs for an Apollo Program for Biodefense, risk reduction, biodetection, agrodefense, budget reform, diagnostics, biodefense of critical infrastructure, smallpox and orthopoxvirus readiness, and state, local, tribal and territorial response capabilities. In 2018 and 2022, the White House released the National Biodefense Strategy, and in 2022 and 2023, OMB released the biodefense budget crosscut, top recommendations from the Blueprint. In 2021 the White House released the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan and subsequently produced executive orders and national security memoranda, taking up recommendations from the Commission’s Apollo Program and Athena Agendareports. The Commission continues to address biodefense challenges and urge reform. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Governor Tom Ridge and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala co-chair the Commission.