Chemical Countermeasures Collaboration: Chemical Threats Affecting the Nervous System

Office Of The Director, National Institutes Of Health

Investigators

Abstract

"The projects under this IAA were developed jointly by the NIAID/NIH (under the CCRP), and the DoD/USAMRICD. The funds provided will support Year 02 of 02 effort directly addressing discovery research and early development of medical countermeasures against chemicals that have identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Chemicals of Concern (CoC) targeting the nervous system. This IAA will entail development of in vitro, in vivo, and/or ex vivo models of the acute and/or chronic long-term toxic effect of acute CoC poisoning. Research under this IAA will focus on CoCs that include chemical warfare nerve agents VX and soman, pesticides, and various toxic industrial chemical/materials. This IAA may utilize state-of-the-art toxicological, biochemical, physiological, genomic and electron microscopic evaluation approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanism of injury to support efficacy testing. All research and development activities supported under this IAA will address the acute and/or long-term or delayed chronic needs of the civilian population, i.e., to reduce mortality or serious morbidity during and/or after exposure to the chemical threat. The route and time(s) of administration of the use in humans, including the likely environment where the drug would be administered (pre-hospital or in-hospital settings). Animal model development, screening activity, and efficacy studies will be designed to align with these ultimate concept-of-use requirements."