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I just got done reading a good article on Scientific American about how 25 years later scientists are still frustrated that they haven't yet been able to develope a treatment to rid the body of the HIV Virus.
The Virus really harbors well in the T Helper Lymphocytes and other Immune Cells as it's a master at hiding it's Protein Marker or Antigen on the infected host Cells Membrane from the other Immune Cells to kill it off.
I might very well be incorrect but if you really get techno about it I don't think we actually know how to "cure" ANY virus once having been infected. By that i mean we have lots of procedures that midigate the effects, and ways to eliminate them...at the expense of good tissue as well...but I'm not sure we' really know how to kill any specific virus. Even the common wart requires us to apply a substance that yes kills the infected tissue but at the same time kills the surrounding tissue.
re HIV...I continue to be amazed at the lack of common sense that this problem is 100% controllable by responsible behavoir.
Yeah ...I know...that's a non PC statement...but it happens to be true (excluding the early days of blood transfusions etc)
If anyone FLAMES this thread that i started about this i will immediately contact the Moderator YAC and asked that they be Banned from City Data as you have read the TOS when you joined.
Whether it's HIV or the Rabies thread i started ealier or the Science of Longevity etc...these are the Science forums not the Politics forum.
It is a tough nut to crack, but there is always hope. This is an example. But even negative results are progress.
Thanks for the link Brian as that was interesting about CMAL. The understanding of the interworkings of Cells is just getting to be mind boggling as Science advances.
I always hear the folks at the MDA Telethons say that when the first of the Neuromuscular diseases fall i.e. ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons, Alzheimers etc..the others will be right behind.
I was about to state what's been stated above: there is NO viral disease that is currently 'curable,' because of the nature of viruses.
Even more critical is that HIV inserts itself into human cells' genetic material, so, unless anyone can develop little molecular 'scissors' to cut out this bit of DNA or can block it, we're stuck.
I worked on the first protease inhibitor for HIV that was approved and every time I hear about 'cure' I ask them what other viral disease is curable...unfortunately we can PREVENT some viral diseases, but we can't currently cure them.
Education is so critical and making it clear to the population at large that, while treatable, HIV is still a dreadful price to pay for forgetfulness/neglect/carelessness - whatever you want to call it.
In the Scientific American article i posted a couple of areas the scientists at John Hopkins are working on is trying to get those infected Helper T Cells to divide as the Virus keeps them from doing so to protect it's idenity from an Immune attack as when they replicate they show parts of their protein on the cell surface and can then be killed.
Another research area is developing drugs to interfer with Reverse Transcriptase an enzyme which converts the Virus Genetic Material from RNA to DNA inside it's host cell which again in theory could halt the Virus.
Third area they are working on is blocking the Virus ability to lock onto the Cell Receptor CCR5 so it can not enter the Cells in the first place.
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