Chemical nerve agents are some of the most horrifying tools of war today. The compounds kill by paralyzing the nervous system and have been used in devastating attacks on civilians or soldiers in war zones. And they can appear, albeit in smaller doses, in pesticides used in developing countries, endangering farm workers after prolonged exposure.
For years, researchers have been searching for antidotes or treatments that could save those afflicted by these deadly chemicals. In a paper out today in Science Translational Medicine, a team from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense has announced a potential solution: a gene therapy that grants immunity to the effects of nerve agents like sarin.
