Computer Sciences To Test Chemical Weapons VaccineComputer Sciences To Test Chemical Weapons Vaccine

Tech outsourcer Computer Sciences Corporation said Thursday that it has initiated phase 1 clinical testing of a vaccine that could be used to prevent and treat the effects of exposure to a range of deadly chemical weapons that attack the nervous system.

The company, which specializes primarily in providing computer services to business and governments, said its Dynport Vaccine unit worked with Baxter Healthcare Corporation to launch the trial.

The clinical trial will test the effectiveness of butyrlcholinesterase as a vaccine against organophosphorous nerve agents such as Sarin, Soman and VX, which is deadly in amounts as little as 200 micrograms. VX was manufactured for use on missile warheads in Iraq under former president Saddam Hussein, according to the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq.

As part of the trial, 40 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 will undergo randomized, placebo-controlled testing of a processed form of butyrlcholinesterase labeled Bioscavenger. The substance is based on a protein found in human blood plasma that has in pre-clinical research been shown to inhibit toxicity from nerve agents. CSC and Baxter are holding the trials in the United States under contract from the Department of Defense Medical Identification and Treatment Systems (MITS) Joint Product Management Office Under a contract awarded in 2005.