Suicides are very sad but also, possibly, preventable and hopefully, treatable. The US Army is banking that they can develop a nasal spray that could prevent suicidal thoughts from ever occurring and are spending the next few years trying to combat suicide in soldiers with science.
The Army has decided to put Dr. Michael Kubek, an Indiana University of Medicine professor, to work in developing an anti-suicide spray. Kubek is famous for his help in discovering thyrotropin-releasing hormone, (TRH), which is known to have antisuicidal and antidepression effects. The problem though is that TRH can’t cross the ‘blood-brain barrier’ through pills or injection so Kubek is tasked with figuring out another way to have TRH be absorbed by the brain. Kubek and the army are hoping a nasal spray can be the answer. Hopefully, it is. [CNN via BoingBoing, zech/Shutterstock]
