| Military Chemical Agent Sign for "G agents" |
Enzyme Might Hold Key to Countering Nerve Agents
Wednesday, July 6, 2011Drugs produced from a natural enzyme could one day be used to protect people exposed to lethal nerve agents, the U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Friday (see GSN, April 28).
The health agency is providing funding for work by Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science to develop medications that could disassemble organophosphate chemicals used in "G-type" nerve agents such as sarin and soman.
"Drugs based on [this] approach would be a valuable addition to our nation’s ability to mount an effective medical response in the event of a chemical emergency," David Jett, head contact for the NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats program, said in a press release.
Sarin was notably used by the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult in two attacks that killed 20 people in 1994 and 1995 (see GSN, March 8).
The U.S. chemical arsenal, which is due to be fully eliminated in about 10 years, also includes sarin (seeGSN, July 5). For complete article
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