Experimental drug could defeat any virus

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Unfortunately, this is still in a very early stage of research, however, the potential is very promising.

Viruses might soon meet their kryptonite: an experimental drug that can, in theory, obliterate cells infected by any type of virus without harming healthy neighbours.

For 50 years, we have been fighting viruses in two ways: drugs for existing infections and vaccines to prevent infection in the first place. However, most drugs or vaccines are specific to one virus, viral strain or family of related viruses. When a virus mutates – as they so often do – researchers must retool our medicines.

By finding a way to target the reproductive/infection process, they may have come up with a universal means to combat viral infection....

So Rider and his colleagues glued PKR to apoptotic protease activating factor 1 (APAF-1), a protein that triggers cell suicide by unleashing a team of destructive enzymes. Healthy cells normally reserve APAF-1 for extreme situations – to trigger self-destruction in a cancerous cell, for instance – but as part of the new antiviral drug, APAF-1 is activated as soon as PKR identifies and binds to lengthy molecules of double-stranded RNA in an infected cell.

The drug "catches the virus with its pants down", by destroying the cell before new viruses have been assembled inside it, explains Rider. Even if fragmented virus molecules escape the obliterated cell, they will be missing the protein coat that helps them to travel between cells, and so will not infect surrounding healthy tissue. Rider calls his drug double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated caspase oligomeriser (DRACO).

Now, since I have been a conspiracy researcher for a while I have developed misgivings (at the gut level) for things which allude to the 'dragon.' But even I recognize that as a quirky foible, and what this may promise is a new way to help many many people...

Basically, by finding any cell which hosts a viral double RNA strand and telling it "your time has come" the cell begins the natural process of self-elimination. Unlike necrosis, where the cell dies and potentially harms other cells as it breaks up, this manner of cellular decommissioning allows the body to properly handle the remains of the cell as it happens. Meanwhile, the virus is cut off, mangled, and deformed into oblivion. The natural process of apoptosis is the reason we have cell differentiation when we grow from fetus to infancy, allowing our various parts to become properly structured (the way out fingers and toes separate from one another into discrete digits, for example.)

There are a couple of wrinkles yet to be overcome; for one thing, the molecule for this medicine is 'large' relatively speaking, meaning it may not be so easy to penetrate into a cell which has a virus in it. The other is that since this directs infected cells to terminate themselves, a completely infected organ might be lost by this treatment (think of it as the non-surgical removal of an organ) and that possibility needs to be assessed.

Hope you found this interesting.

Be well,

MM

interesting that this is the current topic of choice for the Torchwood Series (Aka Doctor Who for Gays) ((or for americans or welsh people))...

the premise is that no one can die, so the world just fills up with people, even if they are injured... naturally profit for drugs soars, because everyone is in pain...

Extremely interesting to me, mainly because I've been diagnosed with cancer and have been doing a lot of reading lately; I came across a lot of information about Apoptosis (sp) as well as things like "tumor necrosis factor alpha", printed a bunch of it off and took it in to my neurologists asking questions... they didn't really get into a whole lot of it with me - basically just told me they could tell I was doing a lot of my own research and thought it was a good thing.

Anyway this sounds like a really good idea, but unfortunately reminds me of the old stories about "miracle cures" that fix everything - I don't remember what it was anymore but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.

However, I feel like there are a TON of "advancements" going on these days - just now while trying to look up what the old miracle cure was, I came across this:

Introducing the Quantum Pendant – The Miracle Cure for Everything!

Now I'm not saying that I believe in "quantum pendants" or anything - however, I do think there is a LOT more to the ideas of Chi and Chakras than we currently know about, and most of the time just laugh about... afterall these ideas have been around for thousands of years.

I've closed your original post now, but going back and focusing on what you were saying - I definitely see a lot of potential "bad" things happening - like the idea of using this new drug and accidentally "removing" someone's entire organ(s) - it sounds like a really good idea, but if it ever ends up working there still needs to be a lot more done with it, such as figuring out how to target specific individual cells.

Interesting indeed.

We can only hope they succed, and dont withhold the technology for to long after its done.

I say this because I'm convinced theres more than a few pharmaceutical companies who withhold newest inventions, untill they cant milk their old cows any longer.One of the resons i believe this is that theres more money in treatments compared to cures. The medical treatment in your post, seams to be a "uni"vacine/treatment and not a permanent cure, which makes it more likely it will reach us within our lifespan.

reply to post by Time2Think


much love to you

reply to post by Maxmars


Yeah right......Big Pharma will NEVER allow this to hit the shelves unless it is $500 for a week supply!!!

Why do you think there is no cure for cancer yet?? Oh the researchers haven't had enough cases to find a cure....RIGHT???

Easy answer.....MONEY!!! When the money stops flowing like they have a license to print money......The whole operation will be shut down, top to bottom, and this will be something we "almost" had a cure for but the results were inconclusive.....

www.ll.mit.edu...

In the opening of his "Hello My Name is..." Rider says something very profound

"I've always been willing to go beyond my comfort zone, but I think Lincoln Laboratory has been willing to go beyond its comfort zone, and that's been very encouraging."

To me this statement is a dangerous one, what exactly is his comfort zone to begin with? and to go beyond means what? To me scientists like this pose a threat, and its not that they aren't producing anything of benefit, clearly if this drug works it will be a boon, however one day you may find we have eradicated the flu virus, as in Rodenberry's short stories a man who is revived from hyper sleep in the distant future is euthanized because he has the flu
Or what if outside that comfort zone produces our fictitious "T-Virus" and bang, its a race to see who paid attention to "Rule #1" Cardio! To go beyond ones comfort zone, seems a lot like going beyond ones wisdom or personal ethics. chilling dangerous progress indeed. I hope the drug works and doesn't destroy full organs as some other scientists in the article pointed out, time will tell. Good post!

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

en.wikipedia.org...

Focusing on what a vaccine actually IS, and then going back to the idea of what "bad things" could happen, I'm totally getting images of the Resident Evil movies coming to mind...

You know where the Umbrella Corporation are trying to create "super soldiers", which ends up creating a bunch of "zombies", then Alice (the woman played by Milla Jovovich) is somehow immune to this vaccination and ends up fighting her brother etc etc...

Resident Evil

Yea, anyway - probably not a good thing.

Have you all seen this video ? Virus as bioweapon
Now this vid came out in 2005 and what if instead of putting it into a flu virus that they put it into a flu shot instead ?One LIKE THIS ONE in your link ......

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