Slashdot Mirror
AIDS Can Fight AIDS
dptalia writes "Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have announced that they have engineered a strain of the AIDS virus that fights AIDS. This strain of AIDS works like a vaccine and improved the immune system of the test subjects. After three years on this new therapy, no side effects have been observed."
So does this mean that two wrongs DO make a right?
... for this to turn into something big, but I think it's a hopeful start. A lot of people are laboring under the mistaken belief that the drug cocktails available now will somehow stop AIDS. But even if somehow made available inexpensively worldwide (which ain't gonna happen any time soon), it still wouldn't be enough. We need radically better treatment. It needs to be inexpensive, easy to administer, and something that only needs to be administered once.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
There is no such thing as an "AIDS" virus, per say... I think you mean to say that they used a modified HIV virus. AIDS is the resulting symptom that people with HIV (or certain other diseases) might develop.
We can genetically modify idiots to fight other idiots!
Task Mangler
There can only be one! (AIDS virus)
Philosophy.
So after the AIDS kills the AIDS, then they send something in to kill the AIDS that kills the AIDS....
So at what point does a Cow get sent in to go after the chicken.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have announced that they have engineered a strain of the AIDS virus that fights AIDS.
Well, whatever you do, don't cross the streams. You're sure to get human sacrifice, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria!
Push Button, Receive Bacon
It's only a matter of time before one of the AIDS strains invades the other AIDS strains on suspicions of building protiens of mass cell destruction.
The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.
AIDS is a condition, not a virus.
AIDS != HIV
+0 Meh
A lot of HIV/AIDS research is going on, but I wonder, what about Hepatitis C virus? As I recall, it also leads to fatality (liver damage + death) in more than 70-80% of the cases, transmits much like HIV (blood transfusion, needles, sexual intercourse), and in some regions especially South East Asia it's far more prevalent than HIV. There's also no known vaccine against it at the moment.
Dr. the bad news.. you have AIDS and left untreated it will kill
you: DAMN
Dr. now the good news we will inject you with AIDS that will kill your AIDS
you: GREAT
Dr. Now the not so good news the AIDS that kills the AIDS will then kill you.
actually I am happy to see you, however that is in fact a banana in my pocket.
Um, that's like adding dry wooden supports to a house that's on fire... not going to work.
You need some way of blocking the virus from exploiting the new T-cells as "fuel". This new virus is kind of like a fire ring; Burn/infect it first in a controlled way to stop the real fire/infection from spreading further.
The principles of Bum Fighting applied to medical science. It brings a tear of joy to my eye.
... and then they built the supercollider.
The idea seems pretty insightful. I'm curious, however, as to what is the mechanism of preferential cell uptake and synthesis of the genetically engineered HIV strain if it is still using the same env gene (CD4 and CCR binding)? Did they also modify the tat and nef genes as well? Are there simply more viruses being made somehow, thus increasing its particular population?
The second thing I'm curious about is if the original HIV infection can be wiped out completely? We know that it hides out (M and T tropic strains) in the dendritic cells, lymph nodes, macrophages, etc., and can transfer from cell-to-cell without hematologic involvement, so it seems to me at least, that some latent virons of the original HIV infection will still be around.
They further suggest that the CD4 count increases, yet, how is this possible if the genetically engineered HIV strain is competing with the original strain? I'm assuming that the CD8 T-cells are possibly having an "easier" time fighting off the genetically engineered strain, and possibly giving its numbers a chance to bounce back up and stay elevated. This may lessen the burden on the CD4 cells, giving those numbers a chance to rise as well.
One problem, however, is that it's only a matter of time before the original HIV (T tropic) strain mutates. Normally, this would knock-off the humoral system, e.g., CD8 and CD4 counts plummet, just as the new strains begin their assault. With the genetically engineered strain, I'm not so sure what sequence this will occur.
Just an idea, if they can actually use this method, along with tweaking the surface antigen genes to actually mutate (and yes, there are millions of possibilities, and I'm assuming that natural selection doesn't require every possibility), we may actually be able to get the humoral system to recognize a sufficient number of antigenic sites and possibilities to be able to mount a full response, and eventually cure the person of HIV!
Pseudoscience kills. Do not spread it.
Facts: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/Factsheets/evidhiv.htm
-- A good compromise leaves everyone mad. --Calvin and Hobbes
I think that, in the long run, HIV is a prime candidate for eradication. Compared to something like smallpox or polio, HIV spreads slowly, the method of infection is easy to manage, quarantine is easy if morally questionable, the spread is easy to track, and we're on top of a few of the principal vectors already (ie: tainted blood and contaminated medical instruments). Needle-exchange programs could bring even more. Any capacity for actually eliminating or completely supressing the disease would make the eradication of HIV an immediate possbility, and one that would get acted on very quickly.
There is no such thing as an "AIDS" virus, per say... I think you mean to say that they used a modified HIV virus. AIDS is the resulting symptom that people with HIV (or certain other diseases) might develop.
There is no such thing as an "HIV virus", per se. There is, however a "Human Immunodeficiency Virus", which is shortened to HIV, or - if you will - " the HI-virus".
Lemon curry???
If you've already got HIV, what have you got to lose?
Every couple of weeks or so the media buy a press release about how 'a new drug' / 'gene therapy' / 'Nanotechnology' could possibly cure AIDS.
Now let's get a few things straight -
Firstly, all these potential cures work against HIV (which causes AIDS).
Secondly, there are already some great meds around for extend life span of people infected with the HI virus by 20+ years as long as people infected are adherrent to their drugs and live healthly lifestyle. Of course when you live in poverty and without access to decent healthcare this is damn hard - hence the problems in resource poor communities.
Thirdly, there is a huge pipeline of new potential drugs which may improve on the current medication regimes and if anyone is interested these tables below will give some indication of the new advanced that may possibly become approved over the next few years after extensive tests: -
Finally, if people are really interested in the latest new drugs for HIV they can get the simply subscribe to thebody.com that has an excellent newsletter which includes new developments. Or look at their latest update on Other Antiviral Drugs in Development- Sept 13 2006 and note the following paragraph
'Antisense Drugs These are a "mirror image" of part of the HIV genetic code. The drug locks onto the virus to prevent it from functioning. One antisense drug, HGTV43 by Enzo Therapeutics, is starting Phase II trials. VIRxSYS has completed a Phase I trial of its product, VRX496.'
If you want to read about the duesburg hypothesis please read the whole story as this is really old stuff and his views are not accepted by the scientific community.
Wikipedia has a reasonably fair article regarding this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duesberg_hypothesis and science had a damning article regarding it no less than 12 years ago http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/data/cohen/266-When we moved from farms to towns in the early middle ages, we brought our habits: pigs running freely in the streets, unexisting hygene. Then came the plague. Some refused to adapt, and they died. Others accepted sewages and garbage collection as a new way of life. They lived. AIDS will be eradicated from Africa the same way the plague was eradicated from Europe (and cholera,...) By a mixture of biological resistance and cultural resistance. Condoms for fun, monogamy for making children, the solutions are there. Africa needs to accept them as unavoidable cultural changes.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
From the What's That Clickin' Noise? show.
Nope, no sig