Latest Organophosphates Stories

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Department of Defense (DoD) has elected to exercise its option to accelerate funding for PharmAthene's rBChE nerve agent medical countermeasure program contingent on the achievement of key milestone activities. "We believe this is a timely decision given the recent headlines about the...

Researchers may have found a way to protect us against otherwise deadly chemical attacks, such as the subway sarin incident in Tokyo that left thirteen people dead and thousands more injured or with temporary vision problems. The method is based on a new and improved version of a detoxifying enzyme produced naturally by our livers, according to the report in the April 2012 issue of Chemistry & Biology, a Cell Press publication. "The sarin attack in Tokyo in 1995 demonstrated that both...

Brain scans of individuals under the influence of so-called magic mushrooms have given scientists the clearest illustration yet as to how such psychedelic drugs can affect people, while also providing hope that the active ingredient in this substance could be used to help treat depression. In two separate studies announced Monday, researchers discovered that the ingredient in question, psilocybin, does not increase activities in areas of the brain that tend to be suppressed by...

Scientists are reporting development of a first-of-its-kind technology that could help law enforcement officials trace the residues from terrorist attacks involving nerve gas and other chemical agents back to the companies or other sources where the perpetrators obtained ingredients for the agent. A report on the technique, which could eventually help track down perpetrators of chemical attacks, appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry. Carlos Fraga and colleagues explain that nerve...

Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility, according to a study that appears in the online open access journal, published by SAGE. Thanks to their extensive knowledge of toxic agents, and how to treat those who have been exposed, pharmacists are an invaluable resource in the event of an actual or potential chemical weapons attack. Chemical weapons act on their victims through a number of mechanisms. They include nerve agents, chemicals that cause blistering...

THE HAGUE, November 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ProQares - a leading provider of testing, evaluation and certification services for protective equipment against chemical hazards - announced today a partnership with U.S.-based Rapid Pathogen Screening, Inc. (RPS(R)) - a leading developer of point-of-care diagnostic tests, to deploy ChemTox(TM) in numerous countries throughout the European and Asia Pacific regions. ChemTox is the first-of-its-kind point-of-care diagnostic...

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine studying psilocybin, the mind-altering chemical in “magic mushrooms,” found that the chemical may actually alter people’s personalities for a long period of time, ABC News is reporting. The study involved one high dose of psilocybin administered to 51 adult study participants and found that 30 of them underwent measurable personality changes lasting more than a year. The aspect of personality that changed is known as...

VELscope Vx oral screening device has received CE Mark approval. Vancouver, B.C. (PRWEB) August 31, 2011 LED Dental Inc announced that its VELscope Vx oral health screening device has received CE Mark approval. The VELscope Vx is the latest generation of an adjunctive screening device that is used in conjunction with the traditional head and neck exam to help locate and identify abnormal tissue that may not be visible to the naked eye, including oral cancer and premalignant dysplasia....

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Company has been awarded a $5.7 million contract under a Department of Defense (DoD) Broad Agency Announcement for studies directed at the development of an advanced expression system for the bioproduction of its nerve agent medical countermeasure program. rBChE is a recombinant form of a...

The hallucinogen found in "magic mushrooms" could be used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and addiction, according to researchers working on a new study. The scientists, working at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have figured out the dose levels of the "sacred mushroom" chemical capable of yielding positive experiences, while minimizing the chance of negative reactions like those found in volunteers of the study, who were under constant,...