I want to find a cure for herpes. What should I major in?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the educational pathways and qualifications necessary for finding a cure for the herpes virus, specifically focusing on the herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2. Participants explore various academic and research options, as well as current developments in virology related to herpes treatment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to find a cure for the herpes virus and seeks guidance on educational requirements.
  • Another participant shares information about a vaccine for HSV-2, currently in Phase II trials, highlighting its significance given the prevalence of the virus.
  • Some participants suggest pursuing a medical education (MD or MD/PhD) for direct involvement in research, while others propose alternative research-focused paths that may not involve clinical processes.
  • There is mention of the importance of understanding molecular biology and cell biology, with various majors potentially providing this knowledge.
  • Discussion includes potential methods for attacking viruses, such as vaccines, HIV drugs, and CRISPR/Cas9 technology, though the latter is noted as not fully developed yet.
  • A participant questions why the vaccine is being developed only for HSV-2 and not for both types of herpes simplex viruses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the best educational path to pursue in order to contribute to finding a cure for herpes, and there is no consensus on the rationale behind the vaccine's focus on only one type of the virus.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference ongoing research and developments in the field of virology, but there are limitations in the discussion regarding the specific mechanisms of the vaccine and the reasons for targeting only HSV-2.

Linds64
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I want to find a cure for the herpes virus. How would I go about getting the education and qualifications needed?
 
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Linds64 said:
I want to find a cure for the herpes virus. How would I go about getting the education and qualifications needed?
Good news in the world of virology.

For the first time, there is a vaccine to treat Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2), commonly known as genital herpes. HSV-2 is an infection that infects 500 million people worldwide, and http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats/sti-estimates-fact-sheet-feb-2013.pdf in the United States, second in prevalence only to HPV among sexually transmitted viruses in the U.S. (The far more common herpes, which causes cold sores, is HSV-1.)

The vaccine, which is called GEN-003 is currently in Phase II trials, where it is doing rather well.

http://acsh.org/news/2016/03/10/a-vaccine-for-herpes-erupts-in-the-news/

First you should be up to date on what is happening in the field.
 
You could get a medical education, become a doctor (MD or an MD/PhD) and do research to find a cure.
Or you could take a more research oriented path and figure out how to cure it without the hassle of becoming an MD. This however would probably rule out direct involvement in clinical processes.

In either case, you would want to get a good understanding of molecular biology and cell biology, but you can get that from via a variety of majors.
Lots of chemistry and physics to get there of course.

Besides vaccines, there are other potential ways to attack viruses, such as HIV drugs or Crispr/Cas9 (although its not worked out yet):
http://www.nature.com/news/hiv-overcomes-https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/dont-fear-crispr-new-gene-editing-technologies-wont-lead-designer-babies/-gene-editing-attack-1.19712
 

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