Ebola + HIV = Great Gene Therapy? 23
Artifice_Eternity writes: "This NY Times article describes a new gene therapy technique, built from two of the most feared diseases known to humankind. The Ebola and HIV virii each possess qualities that are useful in getting new genes into the body, to replace defective ones. Researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Human Gene Therapy have snipped out bits from each virus, and successfully used their hybrid virus to deliver a marker gene to mice, by spraying it into their respiratory tracts. This could prove useful in treating cystic fibrosis and other genetically-caused lung diseases. Here's the IHGT's own page on the project. But: here's a Washington Post article from March on the same topic, featuring skeptical comments from Dr. Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV. Gallo fears that such a hybrid could potentially combine with 'wild HIV' to produce a new contagion (airborne HIV, anyone? *cough*)."
Ebola is back (Score:1)
This seems wrong (Score:1)
Welcome, newbie (OT) (Score:1)
Hey, I saw this movie ! (Score:1)
Please stop that, scientists !
It recalls me the movie " 12 monkeys [imdb.com]" I saw a few days ago
This could be wonderful, (Score:1)
And so could Restriction Enzymes (Score:5, Insightful)
They were actually banned in Cambridge, MA (home of Harvard and MIT) during the 70s, and now they are used in my Biology Lab courses to teach us how DNA seperates in agarose gel electrophoresis.
Point being: Don't jump to stupid conclusions about the dangers of things.
Get real all..... (Score:3, Insightful)
As for the polio/AIDS bit, they did tests on some old frozen blood/tissue samples and found no link, so that whole connection is unfounded. More then likely AIDS was either around for a long time and didn't become prevelant till people could travel great distances quickly (lets be honest, would have been pretty easy to confuse with consumpltion/TB back in the "old days") or AIDS was a simian virus that made the jump to humans at some point (we are all primates).
So all and all, lets calm down, this will not turn into 12 monkeys, if anything it should bring a lot of really sick kids some hope (Cystic Fibrosis), or will we let our hysteria ruin any chance of that?
On the other hand.... (Score:1)
Then it got loose. I'll admit that it's a different order of magnitude, but the world has a very poor track record with biological controls.
I might also point out the spread (unexpected) of genemod corn....
Take a look.
http://www.time.com/time/international/1995/951
http://ucbiotech.org/~news/articles/100201.htm
Re:Get real all..... (Score:1)
Additionally, there is now evidence [uow.edu.au] that Chimpanzee tissue culture -- Chimpanzee SIV being the supposed AIDS precursor virus -- was used to passage the seed virus to produce vaccine (something which every opponent of the OPV/AIDS hypothesis claims never happened, but of whom none can prove, given that no protocol for vaccine production has ever been produced for the Koprowski/Wistar vaccines in question), and circumstantial evidence that vaccine produced in this manner may actually have been used in field trials in humans.
So,
- The people who are claiming that the debate is over are the people with a compelling financial interest in squashing this line of investigation;
- The people who are claiming that the debate is over are ignoring evidence as they see fit, and are content not to ask for evidence (e.g., vaccine manufacture protocols and lab notes related actual vaccine production lots) which would shed a great deal of light on the issue;
- The proponents of the theory have no financial interest in the outcome of the debate(even if one could argue book sales, the books will sell even if the theory turns out to be false);
- ONLY THE OPV/AIDS theory accounts for the extremely high correlation of mass polio vaccinations and early AIDS infection sites, especially in remote, supposedly "isolated" areas in Eastern Congo, Western Rwanda/Burundi;
While I am pro-science, I am strongly pro-caution. We all want to rid our species of diseases, but we must carefully weigh the potential costs with the uncertain benefits and strive to reach the utmost level of certainty with regard to safety. Unfortunately, the rush to be the first to do something (and thus get the profits associated with commercial development, and secure future funding) can be highly detrimental to that goal.Um, no. (Score:3, Informative)
But the possibility of a new, non-airborne contagion is not out of the question, of course...
Smallpox (Score:1)
Re:Smallpox (Score:1)
Largest in terms of molecular size (i.e. number of atoms, molecular structure) or largest in terms of density (more heavy atoms like oxygen and carbon)? There is a difference, y'know.
It's density (i.e. density greater than molecular nitrogen) that would determine if it can be spread through the air, amongst other factors.
I LOVE YOU! (Score:4, Funny)
We can call it the 'ILOVEYOU' virus...
Should gene therapy virii be contagious? (Score:1)
Caution is warranted (Score:4, Informative)
I'm all for continuing research in a secure facility, but until we have the ability to eradicate such a virus from the body I'd be very reluctant to have even a "harmless" virus with those genes added inserted into anyone who isn't already dying, and even then I'd have to think long and hard.
Caution is warranted = afraid of the unknown (Score:1)
What do you _actually_ do in that lab, dear - backups, dishes?
The plural of 'virus' is 'viruses,' (Score:2)
Re:The plural of 'virus' is 'viruses,' (Score:1)