Dr. Ned Heindel will speak on *Antidotes to Terrorist Toxins*

Dr Heindel from Lehigh University (Department of Chemistry) will speak on "Antidotes to Terrorist Toxins" Tuesday, March 9th at 4:30, Mendel 101. All are welcome to attend. World War I is called “the Chemists’ War” because of the variety of toxic gases employed. Gas masks provided some protection against the waves of chlorine and phosgene sweeping over the trenches, but the introduction in July 1917 of the blistering agent, known as sulfur mustard changed the dynamics of warfare forever. The gas penetrated most military garb and was absorbed unknowingly. The death-dealing effects didn’t appear till hours after exposure. Sulfur mustard is still around. It was employed in late 20^th century military operations, and the substance is believed to be a terrorist chemical of choice. CounterACT is a government sponsored project aimed at developing pharmaceuticals to block sulfur mustard’s toxic effects. Over 100 potential antidotes in five chemical classes have been designed, synthesized, characterized, and tested by our laboratory against sulfur mustard. Several anti-inflammatories are showing promise as interventional pharmaceuticals.