Researchers Modify T-Cells, Make Them HIV Resistant

DieNadel writes to share that naturally occurring proteins called "zinc fingers" are being used in a new approach to AIDS treatment. Using modified T-Cells with the zinc fingers, researchers at the Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown a reduction in viral load in mice. "'By inducing mutations in the CCR5 gene using zinc finger proteins, we've reduced the expression of CCR5 surface proteins on T cells, which is necessary for the AIDS virus to enter these immune system cells,' explains first author Elena Perez, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn. 'This approach stops the AIDS virus from entering the T cells because it now has an introduced error into the CCR5 gene.'"

Zinc you say?

[nekdut]

Aren't we having a zinc shortage [slashdot.org]? Get it from these fingers!!

OMGZombies!

[gorckat]

Oh wait...T-cells. I thought it said T-Virus.

Re:So what?

[Microlith]

They need to be good libs

As opposed to what, being a good "con" and doing what?

I would like some background to what I can only parse as a retarded attempt to politicize with a statement that must've taken a whole 5 braincells to parrot.

Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

[geekmansworld]

Haven't we learned not to modify T-Cells already?

Re:So what?

[arthurpaliden]

The world is going to end in 2012 anyway so why worry.

Thats sick

[Gat0r30y]

sorry. I had to.

Re:law of unintended consequences...

[troybob]

OMG you had better try to get in touch with these researchers, because this probably did not occur to them at all!

Alternatively:

[my_left_nut]

"Researchers Throw Finger at HIV"

Brilliant!

[DeVilla]

That sounds like a great plan. Insert errors into our genetic code until the virus leaves us alone. That's got to work.

Re:So what?

[cyphercell]

Because....

We run out of zinc, jackass!!!

Re:OMGZombies!

[neokushan]

You're probably American, but you might be glad to know that there's a place in England where people could quite literally say "t' t-cells attack t' virus". Not quite what you're looking for, but close enough!

Now, put t' kettle on!

Re:So what?

[cp.tar]

They need to be good libs

As opposed to what, being a good "con" and doing what?

Conning people?

Re:OMGZombies!

[Roger W Moore]

Ah yes but we don't pronounce it T just t' so its easy to tell the difference.

Re:This is probably good news

[GroeFaZ]

Couldn't you have put it as an analogy that does not involve "making out"? Something slashdotters can understand, like, a car analogy?

Re:So what?

[Dunbal]

Just because the Mayans calendar ended then means what exactly? They didn't even invent, let alone UTILIZE the wheel...

      Not only that but they were able to predict "the end of the world" and yet utterly failed to foresee the end of their own civilization?

Re:So what?

[Ihmhi]

The world's gonna end on Diablo III's release date?

Re:SLASHDOT SUX0RZ

[Anonymous Coward]

Make them Goatse resistant? Slashdot could use some of that

Re:So what?

[Fred_A]

No, we run out of zinc in 2011 and the end of the world comes in 2012.

We could just move the end of the world forward by one year to solve the problem.

Re:law of unintended consequences...

[Fred_A]

No, not zombies, corpses.

So... pre-zombies?

We scientific types prefer to call them zombie precursors.

Re:Messin around with T-Cells a bad thing?

[Fred_A]

I guess when Isaac Asimov was infected with HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion he deserved to get sick and die!

Absolutely, according to the original poster he shouldn't have had a transfusion without a condom, so it was completely his fault. (details are left as an exercise to the reader).

Re:law of unintended consequences...

[phagstrom]

You not only need to be sure, you need to be HIV-positive...

Re:So what?

[alnapp]

Mod +1 relieved

Phew

Re:law of unintended consequences...

[Taleron]

Besides, it's never lupus.