Bruce Edwards Ivins (April 22, 1946 – July 29, 2008) was an American microbiologist, vaccinologist, senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Maryland, and the person suspected by the FBI of the 2001 anthrax attacks.
1968
Ivins graduated with honors from the University of Cincinnati (UC) with a B.S. degree in 1968, an M.S. degree in 1971, and a Ph.D. degree in 1976, all in microbiology.
Ivins conducted his Ph.D. research under the supervision of Dr. Peter F. Bonventre.
His dissertation focused on different aspects of toxicity in disease-causing bacteria.
Ivins was a scientist for 36 years and senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland for 18 years.
1969
Ivins had published at least 44 scientific papers dating back to May 18, 1969.
His earliest known published work pertained to the response of peritoneal macrophages, a type of white blood cell, to infection by Chlamydia psittaci, an infectious bacterium that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
1975
In December 1975, Ivins married nursing student Mary Diane Betsch (known as Diane), to whom he remained married until his death.
The couple had two children.
Diane Ivins was a homemaker and full time parent who also ran a daycare center out of the family's home.
His wife, children, and brothers were all still alive at the time of his death; his parents were deceased.
1979
After conducting research on Legionella and cholera, in 1979, Ivins turned his attention to anthrax after the anthrax outbreak in the Soviet city of Sverdlovsk (now known as Yekaterinburg), which killed at least 105 after an accidental release at a military facility.
2001
Ivins often cited the 2001 anthrax attacks in his papers to bolster the significance of his research in years subsequent to the attacks.
The 2001 anthrax attacks involved the mailing of several letters proclaiming, "Death to America ... Death to Israel ... Allah is Great", and contaminated with anthrax, to the offices of U.S. Senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy, as well as to the offices of ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, and the National Enquirer.
Ivins became involved in the investigation of the anthrax attacks because he was regarded as a skilled microbiologist.
Starting in mid-October, he and his colleagues worked long hours testing samples to distinguish real anthrax letters from the numerous hoaxes that were sent out at this time.
2003
On March 14, 2003, Ivins and two of his colleagues at USAMRIID received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service — the highest award given to Defense Department civilian employees — for helping solve technical problems in the manufacture of anthrax vaccines.
2006
In a 2006 paper published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, he wrote with his co-authors
"Shortening the duration of antibiotic postexposure prophylaxis in a bioterrorism event involving B. anthracis by adding postexposure vaccination could greatly alleviate problems of noncompliance and side effects associated with prolonged antibiotic therapy. The value of adding vaccination to postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered in planning the public health response to bioterrorism events involving inhalational anthrax."
Ivins was a co-inventor on two United States patents for anthrax vaccine technology, and.
Both of these patents are owned by his employer at the time, the United States Army.
2008
Ivins died on July 29, 2008, of an overdose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) in a suicide after learning that criminal charges were likely to be filed against him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an alleged criminal connection to the attacks.
At a news conference at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on August 6, 2008 (eight days after Ivins' self-inflicted death), FBI and DOJ officials formally announced that the Government had concluded that Ivins was likely solely responsible for the deaths of five persons, and for the injury of dozens of others, resulting from the September–October 2001 mailings to members of Congress and to members of the media, of several anonymous letters which contained Bacillus anthracis, commonly referred to as anthrax.
2010
On February 19, 2010, the FBI released a 92-page summary of evidence against Ivins and announced that it had concluded its investigation.
The FBI conclusions have been contested by many, including senior microbiologists, the widow of one of the victims, and several prominent American politicians.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who was among the targets in the attack, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ), and Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) all argued that Ivins was not solely responsible for the attacks.
No formal charges were ever filed against Ivins for the crime, and no direct evidence of his involvement has been uncovered.
The FBI subsequently requested a panel from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review its scientific work on the case.
2011
On May 15, 2011, the panel released its findings, which "conclude[d] that the bureau overstated the strength of genetic analysis linking the mailed anthrax to a supply kept by Bruce E. Ivins."
The NAS committee stated that its primary finding was that "it is not possible to reach a definitive conclusion about the origins of the B. anthracis in the mailings based on the available scientific evidence alone."
Multiple sources:
Bruce Ivins was born and spent his youth in Lebanon, Ohio, about 30 mi northeast of Cincinnati.
His parents were Thomas Randall Ivins and Mary Johnson (née Knight) Ivins, and he was the youngest of three brothers.
Ivins' father, a pharmacist, owned a drugstore and was active in the local Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce.
The family went regularly to Lebanon Presbyterian Church, although Ivins was later a Catholic parishioner.
According to C.W. Ivins, one of his older brothers, their mother Mary was violent and physically abusive to all three children.
When she discovered she was pregnant with Bruce, a pregnancy that was unplanned and unwanted, she repeatedly tried to abort the child by throwing herself down a set of stairs.
Ivins would eventually hear the story of his mother's attempt to abort him.
Avidly interested in science, Ivins was an active participant in extracurricular activities in high school, including the National Honor Society, science fairs, the current events club, and the scholarship team all four years.
He ran on the track and cross-country teams, worked on the yearbook and school newspaper, and was in the school choir and junior and senior class plays.
