San Diego State Professor Wins Grant to Develop
Laser-Based Method to Detect Explosive Devices

Contact: Jason Foster
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Tel: (619) 594-2585/ Cell: (619) 992-0772
foster@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005) – For 20 years San Diego State distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry William Tong, Ph.D., has researched how to use lasers to help detect diseases in the body and toxins in the environment. Now he’s won initial funding to explore another potentially life-saving application for his patented technology – using lasers to protect soldiers and civilians from hidden explosive devices.

Tong has received a $75,000 seed grant from the Department of Defense-funded Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) to explore how to adapt his “laser wave mixing” technology into one of the most sensitive and portable methods devised for detecting trace amounts of chemicals present in explosives. This is the first grant from San Diego-based CCAT to be given directly to SDSU.

“Detecting trace amounts of explosives is very challenging, whether it is on the battlefield or in homeland security settings,” Tong said. “Pursuing this project is our way to contribute to the effort to save lives at home and overseas.”

In a laser wave mixing detection system, overlapping laser beams are sent to a target. Different elements or molecules in the target interact with the laser beams in unique ways, and the chemical information is transmitted to an analyzer by a laser-like signal beam.

Laser wave mixing can detect substances at the parts-per-quadrillion level. Tong said this detection system is many times more sensitive than other methods.

Tong has used laser wave mixing for 20 years to detect certain isotopes for biomedical and environmental applications. Over the last couple of years, several factors came together to make him decide the time had come to use the technology to detect threats such as the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) confronting troops in Iraq or the kinds of bombs used in the recent suicide attacks in London and Madrid.

“It was always in the back of my mind that laser wave mixing could be used effectively to detect explosives, because we have already detected similar isotopes and chemicals at trace concentration levels for other applications,” Tong said. “But recent world events clearly showed the need for this. Also, the capability now exists to put this technology into a much smaller housing or device, which is vital for effective, portable use in the field.”

The CCAT grant will allow Tong and his team to pursue product development, as well as receive assistance in marketing and commercialization planning.

“National security has become our nation's top priority and Dr. Tong's technology offers highly reliable feedback regarding trace chemicals that may be missed using traditional explosive recognition methodology,” said Tom Sheffer, CCAT program manager. “This unobtrusive, stand-off detection of improvised explosive devices allows the opportunity to catch potential terrorists at buildings, airports and vulnerable areas without restrictive formal search procedures.”

CCAT, funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), identifies, evaluates, funds and fast-tracks the development of technologies for use by the DoD, the Department of Homeland Security and the private sector.

If this early stage of development is successful, additional financial support to get Tong’s laser wave-mixing technology out of the lab and into the field could come from several sources.

San Diego State University Research Foundation's Technology Transfer Office commissioned a market assessment for Dr. Tong's technology. The assessment, conducted by students from the SDSU's Entrepreneurial Management Center, determined the potential for strong interest from the defense sector.

“Research grants from federal agencies such as DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and HSARPA (Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency) may be the next logical step in funding the development of Dr. Tong's truly sensitive explosives detector,” said Mike Rondelli, Program Manager of the SDSU Technology Transfer Office. “Combined with SDSU's deep relationships with both local and national defense-related companies, we see this CCAT grant as the first step to taking this technology into the community where it can make our country a safer place.”

Tong said preliminary lab results for the adapted laser technology are promising. However, significant work remains.

“The major challenge we all face is arriving at the levels of chemical detection sensitivity and specificity we need,” he said. “We need to be able to detect different kinds of explosives, detect them from a safe distance, and distinguish the target chemicals from others in the surrounding environment so that we minimize false positive or negative results.”

In addition to this project, Tong’s lab is also working on ultrasensitive laser detection methods for different isotopes present in radioactive materials, high-precision laser methods for geochemical, biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, and high-resolution laser techniques for microarrays, microchips and microfluidic devices.

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasingly international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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