A big Congratulations is in order for one of TATRC’s premier labs led by Dr. Jaques Reifman, SES and Director for the Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute (BHSAI). 2B Alert, a fatigue-management artificial intelligence (AI) tool, and a software system that aims to counteract the negative effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue, was officially awarded and recognized as the USAMRDC’s Invention of the Year.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) is involved in developing drugs and countermeasures in multiple areas, including military-relevant infectious diseases and chemical biological defense. Drug discovery is a risky and resource-intensive endeavor with high attrition rates due to adverse side effects. For almost three decades, a major focus in drug discovery has been to reduce the attrition rate.

As you may recall from reading the Q1 edition of the TATRC Times, TATRC’s Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute (BHSAI) has successfully licensed the groundbreaking 2B-Alert fatigue-management artificial intelligence (AI) tool, a software system that aims to counteract the negative effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue.

At the 5th International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance (ICSPP), which was held in mid February, at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City, Dr. Jaques Reifman, Director of TATRC’s Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute (BHSAI), delivered three highly regarded presentations on heat stress, Warfighter alertness and core body temperature estimation to a crowd of over 500 participants focused on optimizing the physical performance of the men and women serving our respective countries.

If you’ve been reading the TATRC Times for some time now, chances are you have heard of Dr. Jaques Reifman, Director of the Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute (BHSAI) here at TATRC. Dr. Reifman is once again making big waves with the licensing of his 2B-Alert fatigue-management AI tool.

Sleep deprivation is a universal challenge faced by nearly all Service Members, especially during military operations. It can lead to accidents and catastrophic mission failures. The ability to predict future alertness levels and recommend effective measures to improve cognitive performance can reduce or prevent accidents and injury.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that is endemic to large parts of South America, Africa, and Asia, and is continuing to spread, along with related viruses such as yellow fever and Zika virus, due to climate change. Localized outbreaks of dengue fever can have a crippling impact on Force Readiness, and the U.S. Army has long prioritized the development of vaccines or therapeutics that can protect Service Members stationed in regions of the world where dengue is endemic.

Exposure to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) can result in various types of traumatic brain injury (TBI), ranging from mild concussions to severe penetrating injuries. Of the more than 350,000 Service members diagnosed with TBI since 2000, 82% are classified as mild TBI [1], which shows normal structural brain imaging but can lead to lasting behavioral and cognitive deficits.

The 2019 Blast Injury Conference, held from 11 – 12 July at the Imperial College of London welcomed 220 delegates from ten countries, as well as His Royal Highness Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex. The conference was hosted by the Imperial’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies.

Team TATRC had the honor and pleasure of being a part of the third biennial Department of Defense Lab Day 2019 held at the Pentagon Courtyard hosted by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) which took place on 25 April.

The goal of predictive toxicology and ultimately personalized medicine is to use your own cells to customize the best treatment for you. For this to work, test tube results (in vitro) need to have some connection with the toxic response in the human body (in vivo) so that the physician can correctly interpret the results and start treatment.

Short on rest but no time to nap? The U.S. Army has your quick fix caffeine map.

A team of Army researchers, including Jaques Reifman, a senior research scientist at the Army Medical Research and Development Command, has built a “caffeine optimization app,” known as 2B-Alert, that notifies its users when they should drink a cup-o-joe.

Vaccines are an essential component of Force Health Protection, particularly for Service members deployed overseas where they may be exposed to infectious diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, or newly emergent outbreaks, such as Ebola or Zika virus.

We often overestimate our ability to stay active in scorching weather—hence, our surprise when we hear of people dying of heat stroke during a summer heat wave.

Sleep deprivation is common among military personnel. Roughly 40% sleep less than 5 hours a night, even though they need 7 to 8 hours to recover mental acuity. Yet, Warfighters often need to be vigilant while deprived of sleep.

We've seen over and over that there are tremendous health benefits to drinking coffee--even a heck of a lot of coffee--including substantial increases in lifespan.

But if you think American office workers are especially sleep-deprived and powered by caffeine, it turns out we've got nothing on the U.S. military.

Sleep deprivation in the forces is not uncommon, so determining the ideal amount of caffeine to consume for maximum efficiency could be key in reducing accidents.

Now the US Army and the US Department of Defense have developed software which could provide answers.

If you need to wake up, caffeine can help. But for the optimal jolt, how much and when?

The U.S. Army and the Department of Defense have developed an algorithm to answer that question. It’s of critical interest because soldiers may go for days without getting enough sleep or, in some cases, any sleep at all.

A perfectly timed and ideal portion of caffeine can fend off fatigue that might otherwise jeopardize a mission or put lives at risk.

Military medicine is facing ever increasing and greater challenges in maintaining Force Health Protection by diagnosing and treating Warfighters exposed to diseases and hazardous chemicals.

Researchers divide us into three types of “caffeine sensitivity.” Now, an app with a new algorithm may be able to calculate the perfect caffeine dose for everyone.

Why do some people have laser focus after one cup of coffee while it seems others have to keep a pot brewing all day to just stay awake?

According to a report by Dr. J.W. Langer, a science journalist, genetic factors determine our reaction to caffeine.

Drinking the right amount of coffee can be a tricky task. If you don’t drink enough, you could sleepwalk through the day, but if you drink too much, you can become wired and lightheaded.

Those days may be behind us.

Your coffeemaker may seem like your best friend when you stumble out of bed, but is first thing in the morning really the best time to have that jolt of caffeine?

U.S. Army researchers have developed a smartphone app that can tell you by using algorithms and sleep pattern information to determine how much caffeine you should have for optimal alertness and when you should consume it.

Have you ever found yourself chugging coffee to stay up late studying, but then when it’s time for the exam, your mind is foggy with fatigue? Researchers from the U.S. Army have developed an algorithm that can predict the energy peaks and valleys that come from drinking caffeine, and in turn, created a web-based tool that helps you predict how alert you can expect to be based on your own sleep schedule and coffee habits.

Perhaps you drink coffee for the smooth, rich taste. Or maybe you crave the surge of energy from a solid caffeine hit. However you take your cup of joe, the stimulant can run riot through your system—speeding up your heartbeat and even giving you the shakes.

But, when taken at just the right time, in just the right dose, coffee can keep you alert when you’re short on shut-eye. Now, U.S. Army scientists have developed an algorithm to harness the power of the nation’s favorite tiredness-targeting stimulant.

According to a recent study, a newly developed algorithm may be the key to optimizing alertness with caffeine.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant to counter the effects of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance. This study proposed an automated optimization algorithm to identify safe and effective caffeine-dosing strategies that maximize alertness under any sleep-loss condition.

But what’s not obvious is when and how much you should consume to achieve the best effects. That’s the focus of a new study funded by the U.S. Army and published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, consumed in some form by some 90 percent of Americans each day. Studies have shown it reliably boosts performance among sleep-deprived people on cognitive tasks, even after long periods of restricted sleep. The downside is that caffeine, especially high amounts consumed over several days, can prevent sleep-deprived people from making up lost sleep, a measure known as ‘sleep debt’.

If you love caffeine, you may think there's never a wrong time for coffee, but a new study says there is a right time to get the most out of your daily cup.

Researchers from the United States Army developed an algorithm that makes personal recommendations for timing your caffeine consumption, so you can drink the least amount of coffee to achieve the maximum level of alertness, LiveScience reported.

Many people groggily pour a cup of coffee in the morning to wake themselves up. But exactly how much caffeine should you consume — and when should you take it — to achieve "peak" alertness?

A new algorithm aims to answer that question.

Whether to counter a rough night of sleep, or provide an afternoon jolt, around 90% of Americans consume caffeine in some form every day, according to Villanova University.

However, when and how much caffeine you ingest may impact its effectiveness.

Caffeine isn't always as magical as we hope.

We drink cup after cup of coffee to try to finish an important project or remain conscious during perhaps the most tedious meeting ever. Yet it doesn't always turn us into the superheroes of stamina we wish it did.

According to a recent study, a newly developed algorithm may be the key to optimizing alertness with caffeine.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant to counter the effects of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance. However, to be safe and most effective, it must be consumed at the right time and in the right amount. This study proposed an automated optimization algorithm to identify safe and effective caffeine-dosing strategies that maximize alertness under any sleep-loss condition.

How many cups of coffee do you have a day? It's not a stretch to say that caffeine is the world's most popular drug. A recent study found that 85 percent of American adults consume the drug in some form every day, but when and how frequently should we be taking a caffeine hit to get the best effect from it?

Drink one cup, still drowsy. Drink more than one cup, you have unmanageable jitters. Anyone who drinks coffee knows the struggle. While you may claim to drink it for the taste, chances are its appeal lies at least in part with its caffeine content. But, like most things, it is hard to know exactly how much you are getting in your morning cup. Beyond that, most coffee drinkers cannot so easily determine how caffeine their bodies need for ideal results to begin with. But, approximation may be a thing of the past thanks to a new algorithm that determines exactly how much caffeine you need, and when to consume it.

According to a recent study, a newly developed algorithm may be the key to optimizing alertness with caffeine.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant to counter the effects of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance. However, to be safe and most effective, it must be consumed at the right time and in the right amount. This study proposed an automated optimization algorithm to identify safe and effective caffeine-dosing strategies that maximize alertness under any sleep-loss condition.

The Army wants you….awake. Since at least WWII, US military scientists have been tinkering with the human brain to keep pilots, soldiers and staff alert despite lack of sleep. Their enemies have as well: The Nazis infamously plied their ranks with methamphetamines (also known as speed).

Vaccines are a critical component in maintaining Force Health Protection by providing a first line of defense against infectious diseases or weaponized biological agents. The U.S. Army carries out pre-clinical and clinical vaccine research on a wide range of biological targets, from malaria and dengue fever to Ebola and Anthrax.