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

Posted by samzenpus on from the new-treatment dept.

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.

7 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. Timing by onkelonkel · · Score: 2

    A friend was just diagnosed with ALS. He has a 3-5 year life expectancy at best. If this could give him a few more good years it would be awesome.

    --
    None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
    1. Re:Timing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My aunt died of ALS, and lived on a tube for three years, after being tubed while unconscious from a fall event. Eventually she just up and decided her existence was too much to bear, and refused to take nutrients or water. It took a remarkable fourteen days for her to body to give up.

      Life lesson: if you simply refuse to want to exist this way, write and notarize a living will, and tell all of your family about your wishes.

  2. Some skepticism by MTorrice · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is a story from Science that reports some skepticism in the conclusions: http://news.sciencemag.org/hea....

    1. Re:Some skepticism by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      My scepticism derives from the notion that just because some disease may be caused by the expression of ERV genes, that anti-virals would have any effect. A bit gene sequence is not an actual virus.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  3. Cause, or effect? by timrod · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What I'm wondering is whether this is something like the plaques that build up with Alzheimer's disease - modern medicine still doesn't know whether the plaques are a cause of Alzheimer's or a by-product of something that is the real cause of the disease. It seems plausible to me that this retrovirus could be to ALS what Kaposi's Sarcoma is to HIV/AIDS - a unique symptom of the underlying disease that certainly makes things worse, but isn't really part of the underlying cause.

  4. Re: Irony by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

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

    I have an uncle with ALS. Although he has lost much, he has never lost his sense of humor, and he frequently makes jokes about his condition. Lighten up. ALS is not caused by lame jokes.

    To get back on topic: Instead of just treating this with anti-retroviral pills, we should look into editing out the viral DNA from the human germ line using CRISPR/Cas. Then instead of just treating the symptoms of ALS, we may be able to permanently eliminate it from future generations.

  5. Re: Irony by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 3, Funny

    I see you have a case of Stage 4 Whiney Pussy Syndrome. I think a couple of massive doses of LightenTheFuckUpFrancis might be called for.