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Arctic Bacteria Used To Make Cool Vaccines

Posted by kdawson on from the it's-a-dry-heat dept.

cremeglace writes "Scientists say they may have discovered a way to develop cool new vaccines — and they mean that literally. By replacing essential genes in a mammalian pathogen with their counterparts from Arctic bacteria, they have created strains that provoke a protective immune response in mice, but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm. The team hopes that the method will lead to a new generation of vaccines for major bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis."

8 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Trivia Time by EdIII · · Score: 4, Interesting

    but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm.

    Interesting bit of trivia.... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

    So according to this article the warmer parts of my body (spleen, lungs) will be spared, but my little soldiers will have to bear the brunt of the attack.

    Awesome. Idea.

    1. Re:Trivia Time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm.

      Interesting bit of trivia.... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

      Oh, I get it... You saw a kdawson article and the first thing you thought of was junk.

    2. Re:Trivia Time by GameMaster · · Score: 4, Funny

      "bearing in mind that evolution doesn't select for comedic value"

      One look at the duck billed platypus will tell you that's a damn lie.

      --

      Rules of Conduct:
      #1 - The DM is always right.
      #2 - If the DM is wrong, see rule #1
  2. There are already TB vaccines by h4rr4r · · Score: 2, Informative

    There are already TB vaccines, I have the scar to prove it.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_Calmette-Guérin

    1. Re:There are already TB vaccines by Cyberax · · Score: 3, Informative

      Unfortunately, as vaccines go BCG is on the 'very ineffective' side of the spectrum. It's better than nothing, but just barely.

  3. Re:And... by interkin3tic · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What could go wrong?

    Jenny McCarthy could open her trap and say it causes autism for one thing.

  4. Dude... ever hear of the Inuit? by way2trivial · · Score: 3, Insightful

    total population 150,000
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit

    --
    every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
  5. Re:Dude... ever hear of the Inuit? by supachupa · · Score: 4, Funny

    total population 150,000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit

    Yeah. don't they make Quicken?