A review of radiation countermeasure work ongoing at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

Abstract

Purpose: The hazard of exposure to ionizing radiation is a serious public and military health concern that has justified substantial efforts to develop medically effective radiation countermeasure approaches, including radiation protectors, mitigators, and therapeutics. Although such efforts were initiated more than half a century ago, no safe and effective radiation countermeasure has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the acute radiation syndrome. This situation has prompted intensified research among government laboratories, academic institutions, and pharmaceutical companies to identify a new generation of countermeasures. In this communication we discuss selected promising radiation countermeasures at advanced stages of development.

Conclusion: Other than granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which has an Emergency Use Investigational New Drug (IND) status, four countermeasures have FDA IND status and other promising countermeasures are in development. Here we review primarily the in vivo efficacy of selected countermeasures in animal models and clinical studies.

Keywords::

• Radiation accidents
• radiation
• radioprotectors
• cytokines
• growth factors

Acknowledgements

The research project for TS and 5-AED work was supported by Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute intramural research program (RAB2CZ and RAB2AX, respectively), CBLB502 (H.10014_07_AR_R), CBLB613 (H.10004_09_AR_R), and myeloid progenitors (CBM.RAD.01.10.AR.012) by Defense Threat Reduction Agency to VKS, and another Defense Threat Reduction Agency contract (H.10042_07_R_EXT) to Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.

Declaration of interest

DSB, EJD, and MHW report no conflicts of interest. CBLB502 work was partly supported by Cleveland BioLabs under Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (to VKS), the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. Myeloid progenitor work was partly supported by Cellerant Therapeutics under Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (to VKS), the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and Cellerant Therapeutics. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.