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New Drug Protects Body From Radiation
Promising treatment has potential medical, military applications
By Katherine Thompson
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Posted Apr 11, 08 2:15 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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A promising new drug that protects animals from damaging radiation is ready for clinical trials in humans, the BBC reports. The drug interferes with the protein that ordinarily causes cell suicide in the presence of radiation, meaning it could be useful in treating cancer patients undergoing radiation as well as victims of a dirty bomb or nuclear attack.
The report is a "breakthrough," one of the scientists tells the Telegraph, because it "provides a long-awaited example of single-agent anti-radiation therapy with significant survival benefits at a single dose." In one experiment, mice that received one injection of the drug before exposure to radiation were still alive 6 months later, compared to the control group, which died within 10 days.