Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications for Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence (U54s). The mission of the CounterACT program is to foster and support research and development of new and improved therapeutics for chemical threats. Chemical threats are toxic chemicals that could be used in a terrorist attack or accidentally released from industrial production, storage or shipping. They include traditional chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical-based agents, and pesticides. The scope of the research includes target and candidate identification and characterization, through candidate optimization and demonstration of in vivo efficacy consistent with the product's intended use in humans. For applicants submitting U54 renewal applications, research under this FOA should culminate in an optimized lead compound ready for advanced development. The Centers will contain at least three research projects supported by an administrative core, up to three optional scientific cores, and a research education core. Each research project must include milestones that create discrete go or no-go decision points in a progressive translational study plan.