{"id":74,"date":"2024-09-26T20:37:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T20:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2024\/?p=74"},"modified":"2024-11-05T19:53:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T19:53:06","slug":"radiation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2024\/radiation\/","title":{"rendered":"Safeguarding against acute radiation syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Radiation poisoning remains a threat to U.S. military personnel. To help protect troops, an interdisciplinary team of University of Nebraska researchers is developing novel drug therapies to prevent or counter its effects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NU\u2019s National Strategic Research Institute, which guides the effort, received $24.5 million from the Defense Health Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense to continue the work. It\u2019s the highest single-project award in the institute\u2019s history and brings the project\u2019s total to over $35 million.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiation poisoning, or acute radiation syndrome, manifests in a variety of serious, often fatal, symptoms. Exposure to high levels of radiation results from nuclear weapons, nuclear accidents or \u201cdirty bombs,\u201d conventional weapons augmented with radioactive material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNL and University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers, working with the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, have made substantial progress toward developing <\/strong>numerous pharmaceutical compounds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new funding allows the team to continue testing promising drugs and to gather data for eventual Food and Drug Administration approval. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are looking at both prevention and mitigation strategies, and they are not necessarily the same agents,\u201d said project co-leader David Berkowitz, Elmer and Ruby Cordes Professor of chemistry. \u201cIt is really a challenging space scientifically. But I think that is why our team has been so successful: We have passion for the purpose of this work.\u201d <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nebraska Drug Discovery and Development Pipeline has been a key factor in the project\u2019s success.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ND3<\/sup>P connects drug development expertise, facilities and technologies to pursue essential but rarely needed therapies that would otherwise not be sought due to low profitability. Nearly 80 NU <\/strong>researchers are part of ND3<\/sup>P, which is supported by a committee of industry and academic\u202fleaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acute radiation syndrome project is a cornerstone of the ND3<\/sup>P, said project co-leader Ken Bayles, UNMC vice chancellor for research. By demonstrating the University of Nebraska\u2019s ability to take specific chemical entities from conception to the FDA, the project demonstrates ND3<\/sup>P\u2019s ability to serve as an alternate path toward FDA approval. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Strategic Research Institute is sponsored by the U.S. Strategic Command and is one of only 15 DOD-designated University Affiliated Research Centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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