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Medicine Biotech Science

Arctic Bacteria Used To Make Cool Vaccines 74

Posted by kdawson from the it's-a-dry-heat dept.
cremeglace writes "Scientists say they may have discovered a way to develop cool new vaccines — and they mean that literally. By replacing essential genes in a mammalian pathogen with their counterparts from Arctic bacteria, they have created strains that provoke a protective immune response in mice, but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm. The team hopes that the method will lead to a new generation of vaccines for major bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis."
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Arctic Bacteria Used To Make Cool Vaccines More

Arctic Bacteria Used To Make Cool Vaccines

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  • Trivia Time (Score:5, Interesting)

    by EdIII ( 1114411 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2010 @04:50PM (#32893454)

    but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm.

    Interesting bit of trivia.... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

    So according to this article the warmer parts of my body (spleen, lungs) will be spared, but my little soldiers will have to bear the brunt of the attack.

    Awesome. Idea.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      but that don't spread to the warm parts of the body where they could do serious harm.

      Interesting bit of trivia.... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

      Oh, I get it... You saw a kdawson article and the first thing you thought of was junk.

    • I imagine if that got to be a problem, you could just take a really hot bath for a few hours... bring the extremities of your body up over 98.6 and you're cured.

      • But that way your normally warmer parts would be actually at the same temperature as your outer parts. Wouldn't then the vaccine get spread along all of your body?

        Anyway, a vaccine that might screw genitalia. That's a choice between the joy of being father (again, for some), or living longer. I wonder if the secondary effects will be that bad, maybe it's no worse than a soft kick.

        • But that way your normally warmer parts would be actually at the same temperature as your outer parts. Wouldn't then the vaccine get spread along all of your body?

          Well, I guess it depends on whether the engineered bacteria simply tends to avoid high temperatures, or is actually killed by high temperatures.

          • If it is killed at 37C, then any second effect could be avoided by warming the entire body.

            But that will probably avoid the good desirable effect too — if it is killed, then it won't even create the defenses it is supposed to create. (Oh, and warming your body would also be bad for testicles, which defeats the main purpose of warming it.)

      • Most nerds have a more targetted, efficient method of keeping their nuts hot:

        Laptop computers.

        Also, nerds are averse to bathing.

    • Interesting bit of trivia.... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

      Why do you think a very easily damaged body part is right out on the edge of the body completely unprotected by bone or even muscle (bearing in mind that evolution doesn't select for comedic value)?

      • Re:Trivia Time (Score:5, Funny)

        by GameMaster ( 148118 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2010 @05:37PM (#32893882)

        "bearing in mind that evolution doesn't select for comedic value"

        One look at the duck billed platypus will tell you that's a damn lie.

      • Why do you think a very easily damaged body part is right out on the edge of the body completely unprotected by bone or even muscle (bearing in mind that evolution doesn't select for comedic value)?

        They are where they are for exactly the reason the GP stated... to allow them to be thermally regulated separately from the rest of the body. Ever notice how they can change position? They extend further away to cool down and draw nearer to the body to warm up.

        Your sac shrivels in a pool because your balls are trying to stay warm!

    • Obviously, this research is just part of the satanic one-world-government's evil population control agenda... Developed weaponized testicle gangrene, to be spread via chemtrail by the UN's black helicopters and Area 51 UFOs reverse engineered from Grey alien technology purchased through a blood-pact involving Christian fetuses illicitly harvested by planned parenthood.

      What could be more logical?

      (Unfortunately, the loonier grade of anti-vaxer will probably be claiming something approximately that sensi

    • .... the human testicles are designed to allow the production of baby gravy (technical term.. look it up) at colder temperatures.

      Unfortunately (for anyone who has experienced shrinkage) the human penis is incapable of spreading baby gravy at colder temperatures.

    • Re: (Score:1, Redundant)

      by lawpoop ( 604919 )

      (technical term.. look it up)

      Um... yeah. The first page of results are links to slang dictionaries, band names, Q&A sites that cater to undereducated people, and pages of that ilk. I'm gonna call BS on this.

    • So according to this article the warmer parts of my body (spleen, lungs) will be spared, but my little soldiers will have to bear the brunt of the attack.

      Awesome. Idea.

      Oh come on now... You read /. Its not like your little soldiers have anything better to do...

  • One word...

    Cool

  • There are already TB vaccines (Score:3, Informative)

    by h4rr4r ( 612664 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2010 @04:57PM (#32893490)

    There are already TB vaccines, I have the scar to prove it.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_Calmette-Gu [wikipedia.org]érin

  • You know, that pun was good until you beat me over the head with it.

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by commodoresloat ( 172735 )

      Oh, chill out, man. I think this is pretty damn cool; it's a great way for these scientists to ice their place in history. Things have been moving at a glacial pace in the field until now; I bet this will send shivers down the spines of some of their peers. These scientists are sure to drink a few frosty ones to celebrate before running home to make love to their frigid spouses!

  • Just in time for Global Warming.

  • " Arctic Bacteria Used To Make Cool Vaccines"

    And Tropical vaccines are the next hot thing.

    Gotcha.

  • This is a really bad idea.

  • So-called temperature-sensitive vaccines already exist for a few viruses. An influenza vaccine called FluMist, for instance, consists of a weakened flu virus that can't grow at 37C, the temperature inside the lungs, but that can reproduce in the slightly cooler nose and throat. As it does so, it triggers a protective immune response.

    Key Words:
    - Virus
    - Grow
    - Reproduce

    Oh and one more they didn't mention ...
    - Adapt and
    - Overcome

    Side-Note:
    Unofficial mantra of the Marine's: Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
    (Tough little suckers huh? ... Yeah. I mean both of them)

  • .... I mean, seriously, nothing can go wrong with just having these bacteria in the cooler parts of the body...
  • So, you could make a flesh-eating virus that only made the non-essential (or at least non-instant-death) parts of the body slough off?
    "Skiiiiinn... Graaghl!" *shuffle shuffle*
  • Paging Dr. Neville, Robert Neville please broadcast on all AM frequencies....

  • Wha! No imlegend keyword.

  • Great. So much for heading for the tundra when the zombie outbreak happens. Cold resistant zombies are the last thing we need.

  • fucking awesome.

  • One at a time, the team swapped out nine so-called essential genes

    Even Google can't tell me, I'm curious how this is done. I program code, how does one program DNA?

    • Even Google can't tell me, I'm curious how this is done. I program code, how does one program DNA?

      They program it in a combination of D [wikipedia.org], A+ [wikipedia.org], and the top secret N language known only to genetic engineers. It's so secret, Wikipedia doesn't even have an article about N [wikipedia.org] yet, but it will shortly after our genetically engineered Arctic bacteria vaccine overlords take over the world. Please allow me to be the first to welcome them.

  • From TFA:

    As part of the study, the researchers showed they could make Mycobacterium smegmatis

    Do you suppose this would be useful in the treatment of Listeriosis?

  • where is "whatcouldpossiblygowrong" tag, when you need one?

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