Patrick McNutt Talks Chemical Weapons
Army scientist discusses medical research being carried out to understand and protect against warfare agents
Just four days after defending a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton University, Patrick McNutt started basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. “That led to some culture shock,” he recalls with a chuckle. But the experience prepared him to deploy in 2005–06 to Iraq, where he provided science and technology ground support as a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a military program that financially supported the bachelor’s degree he received from Wake Forest University.
Today, McNutt, who clearly doesn’t relish a humdrum life, works for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD), the primary laboratory of the Department of Defense for investigating medical aspects of chemical weapons defense. He studies the biological and biochemical mechanisms of nerve agents, mustard gas, and botulinum neurotoxins. What follows is a recent discussion (edited for length and clarity) he had with C&EN about why chemical weapons defense research is relevant today.