On Jun. 3, 2025, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, DEVCOM CBC, and the University of Hawaii System announced they have teamed together on two initiatives to leverage biomaterials and advanced manufacturing to enhance warfighter survivability and effectiveness.

The work is being performed under a cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, and two initial joint work statements, JWS. These will allow the two organizations to collaborate on various initiatives, from organ-on-a-chip scientific tools to broader advanced manufacturing and repair capabilities supporting the United States Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii.

Advances under this new CRADA aim to enhance existing in vitro organ models through the use of bioprinting to improve protection against and treatments for burns, exposure to poisonous gases, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other chem-bio threats to the warfighter.

Bioprinting is a technique that utilizes cell-based inks to reproduce 3D models, such as layers of skin, to better characterize and assess treatments for threats warfighters might face.

The new collaboration allows for the continuing advancement of bioprinting at DEVCOM CBC and the development of deployable printers at UH Mānoa to establish remote, printable prototype stations under austere conditions.