Agencies that support and perform R&D have already redoubled their efforts at developing technologies to help prevent or mitigate another terrorist attack. Technologies in various stages of development range from more sensitive and versatile detectors for biological, chemical, and radiological agents to new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics against anthrax, smallpox, and other potential bioterror agents. Many of these technologies, particularly those designed to guard against an attack on the nation's infrastructure, have either already been or are being developed within the private sector.

The three key end-user groups are identified as users or potential users of chemical and biological detection equipment. The prime end-user is the military. Based on mission requirements and the possibility of battlefield contamination, the military is expected to remain the largest consumer. Second are civil defense and law enforcement agencies, or first responders. These end-users are present at state and local levels and are tasked with protecting civilians in the event of a wider exposure. Demand in this sector is expected to rise due to the terrorist actions against the United States. The third group of end-users is found in the civilian sector. These are primarily large companies desiring to protect employees; companies involved in chemical demilitarization work and government agencies without first responder duties.

Although demand is expected to increase in the civilian sector too, some companies may still consider the high cost of the devices, translating into the cost to benefit ratio, too steep. This may be especially relevant for smaller companies, who may not consider themselves a high-risk target and cannot afford to install high-cost detection devices to monitor their work environments. While still a high impact restraint, it is somewhat lessened by the recent events. One of the main challenges for the industry is that most biodetection programs are still in the research and development phase, which may last anywhere from 3 to 5 years.

This Technical Insights' report provides:

• An overview of the emerging technologies relating to security technologies based on chemical and biological detection and their applications for detection, identification, and tracking. Strengths and weaknesses of these technologies are compared.
• An analysis of the trends affecting market size and growth; we also quantify market size and provide forecasts for market segments.
• Information about the security concerns and strategies in various commercial and public sectors, and how these sectors are impacting the development of new technologies and the marketplace.
• A list of organizations, including companies, universities, and government agencies, involved in the design and manufacture of security technologies. (Contact details including address, telephone number, contact person, fax number, and E-mail, when available)
• A summary of key patents, which gives you insight into notable activity and important players.

(Note: For the purpose of this report, chemical and biological detection refers primarily to security applications; environmental, industrial and medical applications are not considered)