As reported in the premiere episode of Weapons & Warfare, the University of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are spearheading an initiative to develop a drug aimed at protecting troops from Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). The project comes in response to the Defense Department’s concerns about potential radiation exposure scenarios faced by military personnel.
The initiative, a collaborative effort with the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI), seeks to create a drug that could prevent or reduce the effects of ARS, a serious condition that can result from radiation exposure.
“This type of project is really focused on protecting our service members from a threat they could be exposed to on a really bad day.”
Maj. Gen. Rick Evans, National Strategic Research Institute.
The threat of radiation exposure has become increasingly real, as evidenced by a recent incident in Houston where a police officer discovered improperly disposed cesium-137 in a scrapyard.
“If they are going to go in harm’s way, if they are going to go into a situation where there’s radioactivity, they can take this drug and be protected in part from radiation exposure,” said Dr. Ken Bayles, the vice chancellor of research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The Defense Health Agency awarded a $24.5 million contract to NSRI, the Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center of U.S. Strategic Command, and the University of Nebraska System in September 2023 to further the research.
“Anything that we can do in our lab to help make somebody’s life better is a win for me,” said Dr. Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “So that’s our goal as researchers. And so if we can protect our military servicemen, that is wonderful. If we can help protect cancer patients, that’s wonderful.”
Despite the rarity of cases involving ARS, the devastating effects of nuclear incidents call for such proactive measures.
Last October, Russia’s defense minister raised concerns to counterparts in the U.K, France, and the U.S, alleging that Ukraine might be preparing a dirty bomb for use against Russia, as reported by the BBC. Ukraine promptly denied the accusations, dismissing them as “transparently false.”
For the researchers, the collaborative nature of the project, involving experts from various fields, is a key factor in its success.
“Together we can do much bigger stuff than alone,” said Dr. David Berkowitz, a chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
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