Global Biodefense October 12, 2021
Chemical weapon nerve agents like Sarin or Novichok typically function by blocking the transmission of messages from the central nervous system to the peripheral nervous system, which controls many processes, including respiration. Historically countermeasures cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, and only protect against damage to the peripheral nervous system. After laboratory and computational testing, a team of researchers in the US (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) ) has a compound called “LLNL-02” that protects both the central and peripheral nervous systems against the effects of the nerve agent Sarin. LLNL-02 does cross the blood-brain barrier to confer protection to the brain. The team has shown that the compound is nontoxic to human cell lines in biochemical assays conducted at the USAMRICD. The next step was to evaluate LLNL-02 in an animal model. They continue the research into LLNL-02’s effectiveness against VX and newer agents like the Novichoks…read more.
LLNL-02 can pass through the blood-brain barrier (pictured), making it more effective in protecting the central nervous system. Credit: Liam Krauss/LLNL