Protean

The Protean program is a research announcement that aims to develop medical countermeasures that can protect protein function against chemical threat agents. The program consists of two phases, with a total duration of 33 months. The first phase will focus on identifying novel regulatory points for protein targets, characterizing the mechanism of chemical intoxication, and evaluating the contribution of protein conformations to function. The second phase will focus on optimizing chemical matter to achieve end-of-program efficacy metrics in vivo. Proposers are expected to submit a video abstract, abbreviated technical volume, and full proposal, and will be evaluated based on technical approach, technical ability, relevance to the DARPA mission, and cost and task assessment. Some key points to consider: • The program will focus on three specific protein targets that are most commonly impacted by chemical agents: Acetylcholinesterase, Mu Opioid Receptor, and ion channels. • Proposers are expected to provide proof of concept for preventing chemical agent intoxication and alteration of protein function. • The program will include a virtual proposers' day, and proposers are encouraged to participate in a feedback session with the Protean program manager. • Proposers are responsible for clearly identifying proprietary information and adhering to the procedural safeguards for submission of proposals to DARPA.