Kuprion, Inc. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: X224-OCSO1

Description

Company: Kuprion, Inc. Technical Abstract: Current Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) exposure solutions are not optimal for use in the austere/battlefield environment; they lack stability/shelf life and are themselves irritating or toxic. Because CWA covers such a broad span of poisons and nerve agents, many of them have vastly different decontamination protocols. A broadly capable decontamination solution is badly needed, because it is impractical to carry a solution for all potential CWAs. The effectiveness of any CWA exposure mitigation measure depends on how quickly the harmful substance can be removed from the victim. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and the stratum corneum generally acts as a sufficient barrier between potential pathogens and vulnerable internal structures. However, many chemical warfare agents are capable of permeating the skin and inflict further internal injuries. The U.S. Army Mass Casualty Decontamination Research Team has stated that “water flushing is still the best mass decontamination method”. Clearly, this is completely infeasible for the battlefield environment where running water is unavailable. The best solution would neutralize the CWA on-contact. Kuprion’s all-copper ActiveCopper (aCu) has the potential to serve as such a rapid-acting CWA-neutralizer as a novel aCu-Zr(OH)4 compound capable of reducing and neutralizing CWAs including VX and HD CWAs. This research is built on prior research in the field, which shows that mixed metal oxides offer the best CWA decon candidates. ActiveCopper is fully shelf-stable and easily applied to all fabrics for rapid deployment in a med kit or trauma center.