Exposure to high heat conditions can be very dangerous. Humans that are exposed to high external temperatures for extended amounts of time can face serious complications such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash, cramps, and fainting. According to the National Weather Service, heat by far kills more people each year than other weather events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornados, cold, and lightning.¹ At the present time, no drug intervention for heat stress is used except in the emergency room after a patient has already developed heat stroke.

Researchers at the University of Wyoming Zoology and Physiology Department have discovered a treatment that uses drug intervention to increase survival to heat stress (research findings). The University of Wyoming has filed a patent application on this discovery. The drug blocks cell receptors involved in the pathology of heat stress, which is effective in altering the physiological changes in the brain, and is effective in maintaining a more normal body temperature and behavioral response. This treatment has significant advantages because it uses an approved generic drug already on the market for humans; it is inexpensive and it is readily available.

This unique application of a drug already available has a great deal of potential uses. For example, it can be used as a pretreatment when exposure to high heat is anticipated. It can be used to ward off the effects of heat in the height of summer for those without air conditioning, especially infants and the elderly. It can be used to give soldiers, athletes, and workers an increased heat tolerance. This treatment has the substantial potential to prevent many unnecessary injuries and fatalities.

If you would like to learn more about this novel method for treating heat stress and how your company may apply it in commercial situations, please contact the director of the University of Wyoming Research Products Center, Davona Douglass. We would be pleased to share further details.
 

 ¹ National Weather Service, Forecast Office: www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Heat_Awareness.htm