Researchers Zero In On Protein That Destroys HIV

Julie188 writes with this excerpt from a Loyola University news release: "Using a $225,000 microscope, researchers have identified the key components of a protein called TRIM5a that destroys HIV in rhesus monkeys. The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans, said senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System."

Comments

Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[PocariSweat1991]

"Hey everybody! We're all gonna get laid!"

Re:Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[mcgrew]

The '70s will be back! You young guys are gonna love it, but the prostitutes will hate it. Back then, having sex with a woman was no bigger a deal than smoking a joint (that we were convinced would be legal once our generation took over... ha), and the best pickup line was "wanna fuck?" and women would come up to YOU and ask that.

AIDS killed it. If this works, you guys are in for some great times.

Re:Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[Monkeedude1212]

...

How old ARE you?

Does your Commadore PET still work?

Re:Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[Ironhandx]

What do you think he's using to post you insensitive clod!

On the other hand I've heard similar stories from my Grandfather. Made especially hilarious by the fact that he was already married to my grandmother in the 70's and he says this stuff in front of her.

Re:Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[mcgrew]

I was a beta tester for dirt. We never did get all the bugs out...

Re:Oblig Rodney Dangerfield

[Majik Sheff]

Nobody seems to give any credence at all to the idea that maybe the puritan values on sex have a parallel to the kosher laws of Judaism and even the deep-seated cross-cultural taboos on things like cannibalism and incest. The rules came about because they provided protection from dangers both immediate and long term.

The cultures who originated these rules may not have understood exactly why doing or not doing certain things prevented illnesses but through generations of trial and error they built up a set of superstitions that provided some meaningful protection. The advantage of the commandment/fiat format is that it is easily absorbed by young and undisciplined minds, so that even if they don't understand why they are doing something they do it anyway because they know that's what they should do.

When you remove this framing and try to treat children (and immature adults) as consistently rational thinking beings you end up with what is effectively a total disregard for important long-standing safety rules.

Re:yea.

[Pojut]

"I just saved a bunch of money on child support by switching to condoms!"

Not ready for humans yet

[Meshach]

The specific protein is TRIM5a, and from TFA:

Humans also have TRIM5a, but while the human version of TRIM5a protects against some viruses, it does not protect against HIV.

This is exciting but it looks like it has a ways to go before it is a viable treatment for humans.

Cheap microscope

[Kitten Killer]

As a biologist, I have no idea why they're making such a big deal of it being a $225,000 deconvolution microscope. It's cheap compared with what most institutions have. Besides which is the fact that the microscope used isn't interesting. Any high(ish) resolution fluorescent microscope would have given you the same data. The interesting part is this TRIM5a. Let's see what happens with recombinant TRIM5a in animal studies.

Re:yea.

[Monkeedude1212]

If I had a nickel for every condom that broke on me, I could buy myself another pack of Condoms.

Wearing protection, while it helps, is not the best way to go about staying uninfected.

And no I'm not saying that Abstinence is the right choice either, I think I'd probably go insane. But you can, you know, develop relationships with people before sleeping with them, so theres that level of trust where you'll inform each other of any STD's or STI's. THATS the best way to stay clean while being sexually active.

I wear one because I don't want any unwanted pregnancies. Before you jump in with "Isn't she on the pill?" - Yes, she is. Theres 2 reasons for that, one being that there are always those rare cases where the pill isn't 100% effective. The other reason being that it shouldn't be entirely her responsibility. If the odds were one in 1000 while on either the pill or using condoms, both of us doing our part makes it a 1 in a million chance instead.

Re:yea.

[Zeek40]

I've worn a condom every time I've had a blood transfusion, and I've never gotten HIV.

Re:yea.

[TooMuchToDo]

Even forming relationships to trust someone isn't foolproof. They could be an STD carrier and still not tell you. Or they may not even know themselves.

get ready for the resurgence of other STDs

[Tumbleweed]

Once HIV is curable, people will find out the hard way that they never did come up with a cure for Herpes.

Re:yea.

[ThatFunkyMunki]

Duh, what did you expect? A trojan horse is when the big present comes in, and all the little guys come out inside the base! Seems like a no-brainer that I wouldn't trust something like that with wrapping my schlong

Hot Damn!

[Petersko]

We're one step closer to the day I can go find the freakiest, dirtiest, most disease-laden slut and hire her to do nasty, nasty things... and simply go for a single shot afterwards.

I'm turning 40, though, so they'd better get on with it. If my emails are to be believed, I have only another thirty or forty years until pills no longer facilitate my erections.

Re:So the FDA can sit on it

[Chris Tucker]

You read a LOT of Ayn Rand when you were a young, lonely and impressionable teenager, didn't you?

Re:$225,000

[RDW]

'The 400x part is usually meaningless. It's just 40x objective and a 10x eye piece.'

Yeah, but our eyepiece goes to 11.