Some chemical exposures can be lethal and cause serious morbidity. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) program (www.ninds.nih.gov/counteract) supports research and development projects to find better antidotes and treatments for acute toxic chemical exposures. Some chemicals being studied include chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals and pesticides, toxins, and other chemicals. A major challenge faced in this effort is the rapid toxic actions of many chemicals, which need to be matched by rapidly acting antidotes and therapeutics. A second challenge is the time and expense of translating basic scientific discovery into approved therapeutics ready for use in humans. The CounterACT program has address these and several other challenges with a network of NIH-funded researchers supported under Research Centers of Excellence, individual research projects, small business grants, contracts, and other programs. The network conducts basic, translational, and clinical research aimed at the discovery and/or identification of better therapeutics. A major strength of the program is that it has engaged some of the best senior researchers in fields such as neurology, pulmonology, and toxicology in order to bring much needed expertise to the problem of treating chemical exposures. The program has contributed greatly to the scientific and technology base, with over 670 research articles in some of the best peer-reviewed journals in science. It has also advanced several products toward regulatory approval including antidotes or therapeutics for nerve agents and pesticides, cyanide, sulfur mustard, chlorine, and others. A program overview and examples will be discussed.

Finding better therapeutics for chemical poisonings: The NIH Countermeasures against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) program

249th National Meeting (2015)

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