Virus Tamed To Attack Cancer, Cancer Drugs To Treat Alcoholism 128
ScienceDaily is reporting that scientists at Oxford University seem to have adapted a virus so that it attacks cancer cells but does not hurt healthy cells. "Adenovirus is a DNA virus widely used in cancer therapy but which causes hepatic disease in mice. Professor Len Seymour and colleagues found that introducing sites into the virus genome that are recognized by microRNA 122 leads to hepatic degradation of important viral mRNA, thereby diminishing the virus' ability to adversely affect the liver, while maintaining its ability to replicate in and kill tumor cells." Relatedly, cancer drugs already approved for use may be cross-functional as a treatment for alcohol addiction. "Now, the researchers show that flies and mice treated with erlotinib also grow more sensitive to alcohol. What's more, rats given the cancer-fighting drug spontaneously consumed less alcohol when it was freely available to them. Their taste for another rewarding beverage -- sugar water -- was unaffected."
I am Legend? (Score:2, Funny)
Shaded of I Am Legend here...
Rats consume less alcohol (Score:5, Funny)
I didn't know that rats "spontaneously" consume alcohol when it is freely available to them.
alternative (Score:5, Funny)
"Their taste for another rewarding beverage -- sugar water -- was unaffected."
research sponsored by coke?
Cure alcoholism? (Score:1, Funny)
Let me be the first to voice the opinion of laid off IT workers:
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Re-branding (Score:5, Funny)
So viruses can cure cancer.
Well what about all those cancer drugs we have already? They'll just sit on the shelves!
No no, we can use them to treat alcoholism.
But what about all the booze!? Pour it down the drain?
No, of course not. We're going to re-brand alcoholic beverages as medication. We're investigating is usefulness in treating social anxiety. While our trials are still in progress, the initial data looks very promising. We've also patented a time-release delivery system. With any hope, we'll have millions of people prescribed daily doses of the new wonder drug.
Excellent!
Re:Rats consume less alcohol (Score:4, Funny)
I didn't know that rats "spontaneously" consume alcohol when it is freely available to them.
Not beer - they have trouble climbing the side of the glass. Most other drinks are ok though.
Re:Replication is dangerous (Score:1, Funny)
and if that fails, nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure ...
Wow... (Score:3, Funny)
Maybe they're jumping to conclusions (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Fungus in my cancer? More likely than you think (Score:4, Funny)
Ahh, yes. A tyrosine kinase inhibitor can play a role in alcoholism. But wait, cancer cells have tyrosine kinases, too!
I've found the connection between cancer and alcoholism: they both occur in human beings.
Re:This doesn't seem right (Score:5, Funny)
Although it may sound creepy at first, if you rationally think it through a virus that "makes you better" is not such a bad idea after all.
Tell that to the Xenu's loyal psychiatrists, who did something similar 70 million years ago. Oh wait, you can't; because their "happy virus", while being immediately very effective, eventually mutated and then drove every humanoid in the entire galaxy into a deep depression, ultimately causing them all to jump off the nearest bridge.
Monkeys and apes, being not completely similar to humanoids, managed to survive the 'viruscost', and they grew fat on the decaying corpses of the prior-day humans. The apes multiplied, and so now we're simply an evolution of their apish bodies, inhabited by the confused, and virus ridden thetans of yore. This is a Bad Idea.
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Re:What could possibly go wrong (Score:3, Funny)
1) make the new virus an STBD (beneficial disease)
2) THrow a big extasis rave with a whole cancer ward.
3) Spike the all beverages with spanish fly
There. That is true god shining thru: all you need to do to cure your cancer is fuck like a bunny.
Mhm... I should patent this!
Re:John Titor (Score:2, Funny)
Oh please. That was his timeline. In ours, the federal government heeded Titor's warning of potential civil war and carried out the 9/11 attacks to create greater social unity in the US. Titor probably didn't consider what effect his internet posts would have on the timeline, or that the early 21st century feds would gladly sacrifice a few thousand Americans and a couple Muslim nations for continued dominance.
Re:I want a male birth control virus (Score:2, Funny)