Posted by Sir Four at 3:42pm Aug 15 '11Have you heard about this MIT research?
That's amazing. The way a virus reproduces is by hijacking a cell and instructing it to produce more viruses. This process involves creating double-stranded RNA, which does not normally exist in our cells. The MIT researchers found a way to trigger cell death when this double-stranded RNA is present inside a cell. The infected cells are killed to prevent virus replication. Uninfected cells are not harmed. This could be so huge: imagine a cure for all viral diseases.
Oh by the way, your tax dollars at work!
In a paper published July 27 in the journal PLoS One, the researchers tested their drug against 15 viruses, and found it was effective against all of them -- including rhinoviruses that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, dengue fever and several other types of hemorrhagic fever.
That's amazing. The way a virus reproduces is by hijacking a cell and instructing it to produce more viruses. This process involves creating double-stranded RNA, which does not normally exist in our cells. The MIT researchers found a way to trigger cell death when this double-stranded RNA is present inside a cell. The infected cells are killed to prevent virus replication. Uninfected cells are not harmed. This could be so huge: imagine a cure for all viral diseases.
Oh by the way, your tax dollars at work!
This work is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the New England Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, with previous funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Director of Defense Research & Engineering.
A cure for virus-based disease? - Sir Four