ONETOX - Chemical Threats

 

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Banner Logo for ONETOX Left side has head silhouette with symbols representing the three parts of ONETOX

 


The increased risk of a terrorist attack in the United States involving toxic chemicals has created new challenges for many programs across the federal government. Threat agents, including toxic industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as traditional chemical warfare agents, have become of more and more concern because of their recent use in terrorist incidents, warfare, and accidental and occupational poisonings. Although several medical countermeasures (MCMs) are already fielded for a few specific chemical threats, the U.S. government established the NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Program to support research on improvement and optimization of the nation’s medical response capabilities

As part of the Chemical Countermeasures Research Program led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the CounterACT Program is a trans-NIH effort developed and launched in 2006 by the NINDS. The NIH CounterACT Program supports a network of grants and cooperative agreements that conduct research on the discovery and early development of MCMs to reduce mortality and morbidity during and after exposure to chemical threat agents. In addition to NINDS, NIH CounterACT grants are managed by the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and with other subject matter experts across the NIH. The scope of research includes basic, translational, and pre-clinical research aimed at the discovery and/or identification of better MCMs against chemical threat agents and it supports their development in preparation for more advanced studies required for regulatory approval. Please see the NIH CounterACT website for more information on funding opportunities and research tools.

Q&A Webinar:

From Exploratory to Therapeutic Development
August 30, 2023 | 1:00 pm EST

Investigators interested in learning more about these exciting opportunities are encouraged to register and participate in this Q&A Webinar. 

Workshop

Status Epilepticus after Benzodiazepines: Seizures and Improving Long Term Outcomes
February 28 - March 1, 2023

The recent approval of intramuscular midazolam (Seizalam®) for acute treatment of status epilepticus (SE) is an important advancement for the treatment of epilepsy and chemical nerve agent exposures. However, effective treatments that improve neuropathic outcomes after SE becomes refractory to benzodiazepines is a common unmet need for both epilepsy and nerve agent researchers. 

This virtual workshop will convene preclinical and clinical researchers, as well as relevant stakeholders to discuss and define the indications of potential therapeutics needed to improve outcomes following SE. Topics of discussion will include refractory SE, post SE neuropathology, current clinical trials, gaps in the research for follow-on treatments and barriers to transitioning therapies to the clinic. Outcomes of the workshop will include a clearer understanding of the unmet therapeutic needs and identification of key gaps in the research, increasing the potential for new therapeutics development.

Resources and Tools

Contacts

David A. Jett, Ph.D. | Director, ONETOX and NIH CounterACT Program
jettd@ninds.nih.gov

Shardell Spriggs, Ph.D. | Program Director
shardell.spriggs@nih.gov

Neel Dhruv, Ph.D. | Health Program Specialist
neel.dhruv@nih.gov

Funding Opportunities

Chemical Threats Funding Opportunities

Chemical Threats Notices and Other Funding Announcements

News & Events

Workshop: Status Epilepticus after Benzodiazepines: Seizures and Improving Long Term Outcomes
February 28 - March 1, 2023

From Exploratory to Therapeutic Development Webinar
August 30, 2023 | 1PM EST

Basic Research on Chemical Threats Webinar
March 8, 2023 | 2PM EST

Cooperative Agreements Webinar
July 27, 2022 | 1PM EST