Dormant Virus Wakes Up In Some Patients With Lou Gehrig's Disease

MTorrice writes: Our chromosomes hold a partial record of prehistoric viral infections: About 8% of our genomes come from DNA that viruses incorporated into the cells of our ancestors. Over many millennia, these viral genes have accumulated mutations rendering them mostly dormant. But one of these viruses can reawaken in some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive muscle wasting disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A new study demonstrates that this so-called endogenous retrovirus can damage neurons, possibly contributing to the neurodegeneration seen in the disease. The findings raise the possibility that antiretroviral drugs, similar to those used to treat HIV, could slow the progression of ALS in some patients.

Comments

Re: Irony

[bizitch]

You obviously have never seen this disease kill anyone you know and I hope you never will.

If you had, you would know that cheap lame jokes may not be the best thing for your non-
Slashdot/real-life Karma.

With that being said - go fuck yourself anyway.