First mentioned here in an Aug. 19, 2014 posting in the context of a 2013 NATO workshop, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI; located in Massachusetts, US) is co-organizing a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) workshop to be held in 2014 in Turkey about nanoscale sensors for chemical and biological weapons. A Sept. 14, 2014 news item on Nanowerk provides a general description,

Advancing the front lines of research for the detection and decontamination of chemical and biological threats is the mission of an international scientific workshop organized by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, and is sponsored by the Science for Peace and Security Programme of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

A Sept. 11, 2014 WPI news release, which originated the news item gives details, not available for the Aug. 2014 posting, about specific biological/chemical weapons to be discussed ,

Part of NATO’s Advanced Research Workshop series, the event is titled “Nanotechnology to Aid Chemical and Biological Defense” and will take place September 22-26 in Antalya, Turkey.

The workshop will focus on nanoscale science and technology as applied to pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Francisella tularensis (tularemia), and Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. The goal is to eventually engineer new materials that can detect and defend against many biological and chemical agents at the atomic and molecular levels.

“Our hope is that by sharing the latest science and discussing the key challenges in the field we can accelerate technology development to help protect people around the world from these terrible threats,” said Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering and dean of graduate studies at WPI, who is the lead organizer and co-chair of the workshop.

More than 20 leading researchers from Europe and the United States, along with graduate students from their labs and collaborating institutions, will participate in four days of presentations and rigorous discussions on a wide range of aspects relevant to biological and chemical threats. In addition to co-chairing the event, Camesano will present a talk about the potential to use naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides to detect biological threats. The workshop is co-chaired by Giorgi Kvesitadze, president of the Georgian Academy of Sciences in Tiblisi, who will present current research on how certain microorganisms and plants metabolize toxins.

You can find the latest version of the NATO ARW (Advanced Research Workshop series) programme for the meeting in Turkey.