The CounterACT Program is a trans-NIH effort, utilizing expertise across the 27 Institutes and Centers, involving specific partnerships with the NEI, NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIEHS, NIDA and NINDS to execute the overall NIH Medical Research Program Directed Against Chemical Threats.
The civilian chemical threat spectrum includes chemical warfare agents (e.g., sarin, chlorine, sulfur mustard), toxic industrial chemicals (e.g., cyanide, hydrogen sulfide), pesticides (e.g., parathion, brodifacoum), pharmaceutical-based agents (e.g., opioids), and other chemicals. These agents are included on the current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chemical Threat Risk Assessment (CTRA) list that NIH uses for the CounterACT program, which is for USG official use only. Applicants are strongly urged to contact the Scientific/Research staff listed below to determine if their proposed threat agent(s) is of interest to the NIH CounterACT program. Applications that propose research on chemical threats that are not included on the CTRA list will not be selected for funding.
If research related to opioid threats is being proposed, see NOT-NS-18-019 for a description of research supported by the NIH CounterACT Program.
Dermal Toxicity and Vesicant-induced injuries:
Peter Koch, Ph.D.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
(301) 496-0810
peter.koch@nih.gov
Nervous System Toxicity and Cellular/Metabolic Poisons:
David A. Jett, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
(301) 496-6036
jettd@ninds.nih.gov
Shardell Spriggs, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
(301) 443-8189
shardell.spriggs@nih.gov
Ocular Toxicity:
Houmam Araj, Ph.D.
National Eye Institute (NEI)
(301) 451-2020
arajh@nei.nih.gov
Pharmaceutical based agents:
Kiran Vemuri, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-402-3396
kiran.vemuri@nih.gov
Pulmonary Toxicity:
Srikanth S. Nadadur, Ph.D.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
(919) 541-5327
nadadurs@niehs.nih.gov