NIAIDÂ July 20, 2022
NIAID and its partners under the Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP) invite applications for the early-stage development of therapeutics and medical countermeasures (MCMs) to mitigate the adverse health effects resulting from toxic chemical exposure, including validation of therapeutic targets and preclinical characterization of lead compounds. Through the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) CCRP Initiative: Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Therapeutics Discovery and Early-Stage Development (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Not Allowed), the ultimate aim is to generate well-characterized therapeutic candidates that may one day advance the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from chemical-related disasters and public health emergencies. The FOA supports research on specific chemicals of concern, arranged into toxidromes grouping, i.e., based on their primary modes of toxicity such that a single countermeasure with broad spectrum activity can treat multiple threats that have similar effects. The FOA also specifies that by the end of the project, efficacy of the lead MCM candidate(s) must be demonstrated in an appropriate model predictive of the human response in a mass casualty or emergency care setting, including an extended post-exposure treatment window and clinically relevant routes of administration…read more.