By AP
DETROIT – A medical researcher is testing newly developed eye drops as a protection for U.S. soldiers against the blinding effects of some chemical weapons.
Dr. Gabriel Sosne is an associate professor at Wayne State University's medical school. He's working with Bethesda, Md.-based RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense to evaluate the drops as protection from the blinding effects of mustard gas and similar chemicals.
Mustard gas was introduced in World War I and more recently by Saddam Hussein in Iraq's 1980s war against Iran.
The yearlong tests will see if Thymosin Beta 4 works when used before and after exposure. RegeneRx also is conducting clinical trials of the drops for commercial use.