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Possible Breakthrough for AIDS Cure

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the a-decade-is-the-fast-track dept.

kryonD writes "Researchers believe they have found a new compound that could finally kill the HIV/AIDS virus, not just slow it down as current treatments do. While most of the community is still hesitant to comment on this until it passes peer review, initial results show that their method attacks and kills ALL variations of the virus. A fast track through the FDA could have one of the world's leading problems licked in less than a decade."

4 of 787 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Raised eyebrows by geekoid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    " In addition to being a potential checkmate to HIV, the compounds show indications of being just as effective against other diseases plaguing humankind - among them influenza, possibly even the dread bird flu, along with smallpox and herpes. "

    Its a treatment that cures all that ails ya!

    " Further, the compounds appear to have few limits on how they are delivered to patients. Although early indications are for application of CSAs with an ointment or cream, pills or injections may also be developed - if the compound gets to market. "

    you can rub it on or drink it down, it don't matter!

    Yeah, I think I will remain skeptical as well.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  2. It's much more possible than you think ... by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Interesting
    As we all know, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a desease that attacks the body's immune system.

    I'm no med student but the article states that:
    CSA-54, one of a family of compounds called Ceragenins (or CSAs), mimics the disease-fighting characteristics of anti-microbial and anti-viral agents produced naturally by a healthy human immune system.
    Ok, if this is true, then we've overcome the large part of AIDS (immunodeficiency). We can just boost the hell out of the white blood cell mimicking Ceragenins. Will this stop AIDS? Maybe not, but it will provide the defenses that AIDS rips from its patients. If I recall correctly, it's not the AIDS virus itself that kills a victim but instead another desease/sickness that occurs from a weakened immune system.

    What's exciting is that the AIDS virus probably doesn't infect/reproduce when it is being killed by Ceragenins like it does to white blood cells. Thus, they may have something here if their premises hold true.

    Googling for "Ceragenins" results in zero hits. Which means this is some magical elixir that is a mistakened cure all. Or perhaps it's something very obscure that no one has thought of until today? We shall see.
    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:It's much more possible than you think ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It appears that the company (Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals) has invented this term for their own products. As none of these claims are in the literature, googling won't find much. You find a bit more searching for CSA. Apparently in December they had a compound namded CSA-52 that killed e.coli and staph aureus (among other things). Again, that was published in the news before any scientific literature (has it been published yet, a quick pubmed search doesn't return anything?).

      Anyway, I'd bet they're pumping the stock. I'm not particularly confident that they've got what they claim (or that its efficacy is as high as they claim).

  3. Re:The Stock by NatteringNabob · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And they had a book value of about $98K as of their last quarterly report in Yahoo (which was Mar 05, I think) and just borrowed $3M at 10% interest last december - with a 10% commission to their loan agent. Their R&D budget seems to be a steady $0/quarter, so they don't do any of that. Their scientific advisor is a dermatologist, which isn't too surprising since they are a spinoff of a skin creme company. The website looks amatureish. As of todays market close, this company with a book value of (at most) $98K, no products and no R&D budget, now has a market cap of $46M. Can you say scam?