Bioscience

Accelerating development of therapeutics and medical countermeasures

Our bioscience research teams explore innovative solutions to biomedical and biodefense challenges. They help speed development of safe, effective therapeutics, and they develop new countermeasures to combat emerging pathogens, environmental toxins, and chemical and biological weapons.

These researchers leverage LLNL’s powerful biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (bioAMS) tools to study the pharmacokinetic profiles of new drug candidates, as well as how biological systems respond after exposure to toxins. They label molecules with carbon-14 and trace their movement in biological systems, tracking how compounds are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated.

Research areas

A wildfire.

Environmental toxins and contaminants

Our bioscientists study the response of biological systems after exposure to environmental toxins and carcinogens, supporting efforts to identify therapeutics for individuals exposed to toxins.

Nerve agent passing through the blood-brain barrier.

Medical countermeasures

Our bioscientists investigate medical countermeasures that can be used against chemical and biological weapons. 

Illustration depicting the immune system.

Cell biology research using bomb-pulse dating

Our scientists use a radiocarbon dating technique to analyze isotopic signatures in biological material, enabling scientists to determine a material’s age.

Learn more

Buchholz, Bruce A.
Bruce Buchholz
 [email protected]
Publications

Explore publications authored by LLNL scientists regarding their bioscience research at CAMS

Technology

Explore relevant instruments and technologies researchers at CAMS use to study bioscience

David Baliu-Rodriguez

Scientist spotlight

David Baliu-Rodriguez develops and refines bioanalytical research techniques that help scientists detect, characterize, and respond to environmental toxins. He leverages LLNL’s bioscience research tools to explore the impact of toxins on human health, such as wildfire smoke and unintentional opioid exposure. He also develops new tools that can protect people who are exposed to dangerous toxins. For example, he’s developing a rapid fentanyl-detection technology that will reduce the risk of first responder exposure to this hazardous substance. While earning his doctoral degree at the University of Toledo, David studied microcystins—toxins produced by fresh-water algae found in nearby Lake Erie, and he’s still involved in research collaborations involving harmful algae in freshwater lakes. He joined LLNL as a postdoc in 2021 and converted to a staff position in 2024.