DOD, University of Nebraska to develop drug therapies for radiation exposure

The University of Nebraska –Lincoln was awarded $11 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop drug therapies that will treat radiation exposure for the military. If successful, the findings may also be applied to decreasing radiation exposure emitted from medical imaging technologies such as CT or x-ray, according to a recent report by NET News in Nebraska.  

The five-year project will be a collaboration between the university, the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, the National Strategic Research Institute and private pharmaceutical companies, according to the article.  

David Berkowitz, PhD, professor of chemistry and director of interdisciplinary therapeutics research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will be one of the primary investigators on the project and said the university’s unique position with the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) enabled the partnership.  

“This is really a special opportunity for us to mesh fundamental science with biomedical science to attack a problem that most of us probably don't hear about every day called acute radiation syndrome (ARS), as you say,” Berkowitz said in an interview with NET News

Read the entire article below. 

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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.

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