Virsuses finally have their own version of antibiotic?

AldarisAldaris Join Date: 2002-03-25 Member: 351Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2024492/Greatest-discovery-penicillin-Scientists-work-drug-cure-viruses--including-flu.html" target="_blank">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-...luding-flu.html</a>

Yeah, I know it's Daily Mail, but read it anyway. Massive breakthrough if this works*.

*Feel free to be disappointed in 5 years time when it turns all humans into zombies or something.
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Comments

  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    It's the Daily Mail, so it's sensationalist hyperbole. Is that a double tautology?
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    "A drug that homes in on infected cells and makes them self-destruct has been created in the laboratory."

    That's actually what viruses do, they infect a cell, use it to multiply, then it blows up and releases a load more viruses. Exploding virus filled cells is only going to make you burn through cells faster and release more viruses into the bloodstream.

    Unless it actually 'kills' the viruses (which is difficult as they aren't really alive in the first place) blowing up cells isn't going to do anything, you need something that like denatures the virus proteins, without doing it to the ones in your cells because otherwise all your cells explode and you die.
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    I saw it on
    <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112259-New-Wonder-Drug-Kills-Almost-Any-Virus" target="_blank">http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/...lmost-Any-Virus</a>
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->When one end of the DRACO binds to dsRNA, it signals the other end of the DRACO to induce cell suicide, an MIT News article explains. In this way, the cell is killed before the virus can take over and eventually kill it anyway. If there is no dsRNA, the healthy cells are left alone.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I don't really know enough about medication to understand.
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    Sounds promising. And if they know how to trigger apoptosis in a cell, maybe they'll be able to use similar methodology to cure cancer eventually too.
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  • SentrySteveSentrySteve .txt Join Date: 2002-03-09 Member: 290Members, Constellation
    Heh, yeah, I did my doctoral thesis on this topic. It was actually discovered eight years ago by Magdi Yacoub but after it went through it's trials and clinical the FDA shut it down. In rare cases, the DRACO bound itself to cells without dsRNA which, of course, would result in the DRACO killing unintended cells. Fairly basic stuff once you have your M.D. in advanced internal medicine with a specialization in viral infections.
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1868920:date=Aug 14 2011, 04:59 PM:name=SentrySteve)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SentrySteve @ Aug 14 2011, 04:59 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1868920"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Heh, yeah, I did my doctoral thesis on this topic. It was actually discovered eight years ago by Magdi Yacoub but after it went through it's trials and clinical the FDA shut it down. In rare cases, the DRACO bound itself to cells without dsRNA which, of course, would result in the DRACO killing unintended cells. Fairly basic stuff once you have your M.D. in advanced internal medicine with a specialization in viral infections.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking.

    This is kinda the thing with antibiotics, the reason they're so valuable is because finding something that only affects specific things in your body is very rare, and arguably the biggest problem in medicine.

    You have surgical solutions that require you to remove large amounts of tissue because you can't just remove the problematic bits, and you have difficulty finding chemical solutions that don't have all sorts of side effects.

    The kind of precision they're talking about is largely unheard of in medicine as far as I know.
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  • DrfuzzyDrfuzzy FEW... MORE.... INCHES... Join Date: 2003-09-21 Member: 21094Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1868920:date=Aug 14 2011, 11:59 AM:name=SentrySteve)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SentrySteve @ Aug 14 2011, 11:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1868920"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Heh, yeah, I did my doctoral thesis on this topic. It was actually discovered eight years ago by Magdi Yacoub but after it went through it's trials and clinical the FDA shut it down. In rare cases, the DRACO bound itself to cells without dsRNA which, of course, would result in the DRACO killing unintended cells. Fairly basic stuff once you have your M.D. in advanced internal medicine with a specialization in viral infections.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    So why not give it as an option to the terminally ill? I'd rather take that chance if I was dying.
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  • Nil_IQNil_IQ Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15520Members
    I heard about this elsewhere... interesting times indeed.

    Of course "DRACO" is also a fantastic name for an end-of-the-world virus that turns us all into zombies and/or I am Legend style vampire things.
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1869247:date=Aug 16 2011, 04:34 AM:name=Drfuzzy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Drfuzzy @ Aug 16 2011, 04:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1869247"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So why not give it as an option to the terminally ill? I'd rather take that chance if I was dying.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    It'd still count as killing someone with bad medicine, I think.
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    It's not like chemotherapy isn't harrowing either, but we inflict that on people anyway.
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  • MonkfishMonkfish Sonic-boom-inducing buttcheeks of terrifying speed&#33; Join Date: 2003-06-03 Member: 16972Members
    Align kills people with love. you MONSTER.
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