HIV can 'never be cured'

Ivan Seeking

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/0802....2008.595.html

mgb_phys

Whats the quote ?
"When respected scientists say something is possible they are usually right - when they say something is impossible they are usually wrong"

Ivan Seeking

Hah, I agree. In fact as I made the post I was thinking much the same thing.

Moonbear

Yeah, I'd agree, never say never. Just because current drugs can't do it doesn't mean it's impossible.

gravenewworld

http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2005/01/66198

We actually did an experiment in Bio chem to see if anyone in the class had the CCR5 receptor mutation. Sure enough we found someone that did.

makethings

What was the experiment that allowed you to test for the mutation? I would sure like to check myself.

platinum27

I say in no more than 3-4 generations we will have evolved to be immune to aids and cancer, its just a matter of time.

mgb_phys

That's not how evolution works.
To evolve immunity you have to have people with the mutation having more children than those without. So you need a lot more people getting HIV and dying before they reproduce to have a positive pressure on those genes. People with HIV dying after they reproduce does nothing.

That's one of the reasons for the large number of diseases you get as you age - evolution doesn't give a damn about some disease you get 20years after you have kids.

gravenewworld

Honestly I can't really remember. I think we ordered the CCR5 wild type protein and the CCR5 delta 32 and then took swab samples from everyone's inner cheek and compared them on gel electrophresis.


I don't remember too much details of the experiment, I haven't done any biochemistry in almost 5 years.

_Mayday_

The way to prevent HIV is education. If there isn't a cure around the corner then education is the only way!

This is slightly unrelated, but give it a read if you haven't seen it before.
Jacob Zuma's Shower

_Mayday_

If people are not working together with the same goal then I doubt we will ever get rid of it, imagine what effect the article above had on people living there! A man who was Ex-Deputy president with have alot of following, how many people now do you think believe a shower will act as a prevention for HIV?

rowkem

Kinda ties into my research topic on health research. So they said its impossible. Does that mean they should stop trying? Of course not...

Coming from personal experience, I sincerely hope they never stop researching this.

8th Dumbest

Yes, and both mother and father must carry the gene to pass it along. IIRC, it is VERY rare, and is also what helped many humans avoid death by the black plague.

greghouse

Obviously theres a cure for every disease... We know now how to reform genes with retroviruses - great potential for genetic diseases. Every infectiuos agent has its weakness. For bacteria it was penicillin (except for the mycoplasmas) until resistancy came, but there are ways to work around that aswell, it has to be. Viruses are more tricky, but since their made of a proteinacious coat, with many binding possibilities for anti-bodies or such, they arent impossible either. Never say never doesnt quite say it :D