Phys.org March 5, 2024 Researchers in China developed a 433 MHz passive wireless surface acoustic wave (WSAW) gas sensor for dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) detection. It includes a YZ lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrate with metallic interdigital transducers (IDTs) etched on it, and an antenna was placed near the IDT… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Tag Archives: Chemical warfare
Biodefense Headlines – 12 July 2022
Global Biodefense July 12,022 This week’s selections include reforming international legal frameworks for outbreak reporting; LRN monkeypox testing in the US; ISIS chemical weapons ambitions; and Chikungunya VLP vaccine development….read more.
Send in the Blow Flies: Using Insects to Sample Areas for Chemical Warfare Agents
Global Biodefense April 11, 2022 Blow flies sample the environment as they search for water and food sources and can be trapped from kilometers away using baited traps. Under a program sponsored by DARPA a team of researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University investigated blow flies as environmental chemical sample collectors following a chemical warfare attack (CWA). They exposed three species of blow flies to CWA simulants dimethyl methylphosphonate and diethyl phosphoramidate as well as the pesticide dichlorvos, followed by treatment-dependent temperature and humidity conditions to determine the persistence and detectability of these compounds under varying environmental conditions. Flies were sacrificed […]
Self-Detoxifying Wearable Filter for Development of Next Generation NBC Protective Gear
Global Biodefense January 2, 2022 Researchers in India have developed a highly effective self-detoxifying filter consisting of in-situ immobilized Zirconium hydroxide [Zr(OH)4] over woven activated carbon fabric [Zr(OH)4@W-ACF] for the removal of CWAs. It harnesses the synergistic effect of high surface area of the woven activated carbon fabric dispersing CWAs. The kinetics of in-situ degradation of CWAs over Zr(OH)4@W-ACF were found to be following the first-order reaction kinetics. The potential practical applicability of this work was established by fabricating Zr(OH)4@W-ACF as reactive adsorbent layer for protective suit and found to meet the specified criteria in terms of air permeability, tearing […]
First-in-Class Nerve Agent Antidote Crosses Blood-Brain Barrier to Aid Central Nervous System
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 […]
Chasing the Antidote for Deadly Nerve Agents
Global Biodefense March 13, 2020 Poisons such as organophosphorus nerve agents and pesticides wreak havoc by blocking an enzyme essential for proper brain and nerve function. Fast-acting drugs, called reactivators, are required to reach the central nervous system and counteract damage that could lead to death. To enhance the antidote’s effectiveness, the reactivator’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier should be improved, it should bind loosely to the enzyme, chemically snatch the poison and then leave quickly. A team of researchers in the US (UC San Diego, University of Tennessee, Ohio State University, University of Utah, Oak Ridge National Laboratory) […]
Army Medical Department Board Tests Nerve Agent Antidote Auto-Injectors
Global Biodefense February 11, 2020 The United States military adopted the auto-injector as the drug delivery device for chemical weapons exposure because of ease of use, packaging durability,and drug stability under varying storage conditions. The auto-injectors are designed to deliver an intramuscular injection with a 22-gauge needle protrudes with a pressure-activated coil spring mechanism that triggers the needle after removal of the safety cap. It is a replacement for the currently fielded auto-injector for treatment against nerve agent and insecticide poisoning, adjunctive treatment, and management of agent-induced seizures…read more.