DARPA is looking for ways to 'slow biological time' to improve soldiers' chances of survival on the battlefield

Biostasis program is looking for ways to buy extra time for wounded soldiers
The so-called 'golden hour' is a critical period between injury and first treatment
In nature, creatures such as the tardigrade are able to slow processes to survive

The Pentagon is hoping to tap into the incredible survival techniques of some of nature’s hardiest creatures to ‘slow biological time’ on the battlefield.

DARPA’s new program, dubbed Biostasis, aims to develop ways to buy extra time for wounded soldiers between the moment of injury and first medical treatment.

This window, known as the ‘golden hour,’ is a critical for survival – but in reality, it’s often far less than sixty minutes.

With the Biostasis program, DARPA hopes to slow down biochemical processes in living cells, to prolong the amount of time it takes before a system collapses.

DARPA’s new program, dubbed Biostasis, aims to develop ways to buy extra time for wounded soldiers between the moment of injury and first medical treatment. This window, known as the ‘golden hour,’ is a critical for survival – but in reality, it’s often far less than sixty minutes

According to DARPA, the idea is essentially: ‘slow life to save life.’

In nature, some organisms are able to use proteins to control cellular functions in a way that allows this.

Tardigrades, for example, can induce a state known as cryptobiosis to survive extreme environmental conditions, from freezing or near-total dehydration, to extreme radiation.

While it may appear that all metabolic processes have stopped in a tardigrade in cryptobiosis, the creature still lives.

‘At the molecular level, life is a set of continuous biochemical reactions, and a defining characteristic of these reactions is that they need a catalyst to occur at all,’ said Tristan McClure-Begley, the Biostasis program manager.

‘Within a cell, these catalysts come in the form of proteins and large molecular machines that transform chemical and kinetic energy into biological processes.

‘Our goal with Biostasis is to control those molecular machines and get them to slow their roll at about the same rate so that we can slow down the entire system gracefully and avoid adverse consequences when the intervention is reversed or wears off.’

With the Biostasis program, DARPA hopes to slow down biochemical processes in living cells, to prolong the amount of time it takes before a system collapses. According to DARPA, the idea is essentially: ‘slow life to save life.’ File photo

The program will be seeking proposals for ways to slow down biochemical processes.

This could include antibodies or holistic treatments for whole cells and tissues.

Eventually, according to DARPA, the plan is to scale up to the entire organism.

To be successful, the method must be able to slow all measurable biological functions without causing too much damage when the system returns to normal speed.

‘Our treatments need to hit every cellular process at close to the same rate, and with the same potency and efficacy,’ McClure-Begley said.

‘We can’t focus treatments to interrupt just a subset of known critical processes.’

In nature, some organisms are able to use proteins to control cellular functions in a way that allows this. Tardigrades, for example, can induce a state known as cryptobiosis to survive extreme environmental conditions, from freezing to near-total dehydration

Based on processes seen in nature, the experts say it could be possible to apply similar techniques to soldiers to improve their survival chances.

Like tardigrades, wood frogs are also able to tough it out in harsh conditions.

The frogs can even survive being completely frozen for days on end, DARPA notes.

Despite how different these two animals are, they are both able to selectively stabilize the ‘machinery’ in their cells.

CAN THE BRAIN BE 'HACKED' TO CREATE SUPER-SOLDIERS?

DARPA recently revealed its four-year Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) program, which aims to use the body's peripheral nervous system to accelerate the learning process.

This would be done by activating a process known as 'synaptic plasticity' – a key process in the brain involved in learning – with electrical stimulation.

Some teams will be working with intelligence analysts and foreign language specialists to shape the platform around currently training practices.

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DARPA is looking into ways to activate a process known as 'synaptic plasticity' – a key process in the brain involved in learning – with electrical stimulation to accelerate soldiers' learning. Stock image

Researchers will look into using the technique across a wide range of applications, including decision-making and spatial navigation, speech perception, and threat recognition.

'Imagine you're struggling to learn something new, like multiplication tables or how to hit a golf ball,' said Dr Robert Rennaker, of the University of Texas at Dallas’ Texas Biomedical Device Center.

'When you get it right, when that light bulb comes on, this system is being activated.

'By stimulating the vagus nerve during the learning process, we're artificially releasing these chemicals to enhance those connections active during learning.' ‘Nature is a source of inspiration,’ McClure-Begley said.

‘If we can figure out the best ways to bolster other biological systems and make them less likely to enter a runaway downward spiral after being damaged, then we will have made a significant addition to the biology toolbox.’

The idea, for now, is still in the early stages, and DARPA plans to carry out the research over five years.

Eventually, similar techniques could also be used to extend the shelf-life of blood products, biological reagents, and drugs.