The beginning of the end of influenza

[AlaskaDenise]

Researchers at Canada's McGill University have discovered a way to make cells in mice virtually immune to some viruses, including the flu.

If this is ever turned into an effective antiviral therapy for humans, essentially making the flu obsolete in developed countries, hundreds of millions of people are going to need to find new excuses to call in sick.
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The researchers were able to "markedly suppress" the replication of encephalomyocarditis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, influenza virus and Sindbis virus in the cells.

If the science can be translated to humans, we may have effective therapies against dreaded pandemics like bird flu and SARS, according to the BBC.

We may also be struggling to come up with credible, convenient 24-hour illnesses that allow us to swan off to the beach on nice days, or suffer, in calm solitude, the effects of a previous night's revelry.

The flu must be the second-most common sick-day fib, right after food poisoning. Without it, we'll have to go straight to migraines.

This "immunity" is accomplished by boosting the mouse's innate immune system:

The researchers knocked out two key genes in mice that repress production of interferon.

With these genes out of action, the mouse cells produced much higher levels of interferon, which effectively blocked viruses from reproducing.

There were no side-effects, according to researchers.

Posted in Health service news and views on 14 February 2008

http://www.imt.ie/blogs/irish-Medical-Times-Blog/2008/02/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-in.html

[gsgs]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

that could also be the end of "not if but when" , and the "Osterholm-100&#37;"

only a matter of time that "not if but when" comes to an end.
Eventually ;-)

They could speed up such research a bit now,
they probably will, when we get a pandemic

[prepdeb]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

If they are able to prevent replication of virus, it could also provide great hope for people with hepatitis and possibly hiv.

This is great news. I hope it's continued.

[gsgs]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

some people may (not) have these genes anyway.
They should be immune.

Maybe they can engeneer the humans in future
such they are better protected against viruses.

I remember an Australian company who claimed last year to
be able to create H5N1-immune chickens.

[tropical]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

I'm not such optimistic.

I looked the article yesterday, and here I saw only a part of the article.

At first, it seems some efective way:
"It works by stimulating production of the protein interferon, the cell's first line of defence against viruses."

But, I stopped read it, when I saw the next sentence:
"The researchers knocked out two key genes in mice that repress production of interferon."
That means (like gsgs said), bio-eng. humans.

I presented it to me like some "Marvel" comics:
Take a cup of "gm liquid" in, and change your organism.
How many cancers, autoimmune, and other illnesses can we set up by changing our cells?

For: "There were no side-effects, according to researchers.", I suggest to wait after the first 100.000 tryings of the same type experiment, to arrive to the first relevant statistical step, to say such a thing.

Remains the possibility of anti-viral new treatments, which I don't comment.
___
Virus immunity 'created in lab'

Via BBC News Online: Virus immunity 'created in lab.' Excerpt:

Scientists have found a way to boost an organism's natural anti-virus defences - effectively making its cells immune to flu and other potential killers. The process cannot be carried out in human cells - but it could potentially aid the development of effective new anti-viral therapies.

It works by stimulating production of the protein interferon, the cell's first line of defence against viruses.

The study, led by Canada's McGill University, appears in Nature.

The varying forms of the flu virus have killed millions of people down the years, and scientists are concerned that the H5N1 strain of the virus, which currently is overwhelmingly a disease of birds, could mutate to pose a grave threat to human populations across the globe.

Other viruses, such as Sars, have also sparked global health alerts in recent years.

The researchers knocked out two key genes in mice that repress production of interferon.

With these genes out of action, the mouse cells produced much higher levels of interferon, which effectively blocked viruses from reproducing.

Tests on four viruses, including that responsible for flu, produced highly promising results.

Lead researcher Dr Nahum Sonenberg said: "People have been worried for years about potential new viral pandemics, such as avian influenzas.

"If we might now have the means to develop a new therapy to fight flu, the potential is huge."

[HenryN]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Interferon was discovered decades ago. It was called interferon because it interfered with viral replication. Decades ago the discovery of interferon had huge potential.

[tropical]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Interferon was discovered decades ago. It was called interferon because it interfered with viral replication. Decades ago the discovery of interferon had huge potential.

And today we still wait for an antiviral panacea.

[prepdeb]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

As someone with HCV, I underwent treatment roughly a decade ago. At that time, it consisted of interferon alone. Injecting yourself 3x a week and knowing it will make you positively miserable.

I stopped treatment after four months when my hair was beginning to fall out and blood tests indicated I was not responding to treatment.

Interestingly, my bloodwork gave the impression of being responsive while I was taking a lot of supplements daily. Once I stopped the supplements, the tests indicated no changes from pre-treatment levels.

I'd hope that creating more interferon yourself would be easier to tolerate than injected interferon, but I wouldn't agree to removal of genes to achieve it either.

Personally, I've had HCV for roughly 40 years, possibly longer. I'm among the fortunate who can manage fine without treatment, at least so far.

Guess I didn't think it through well enough or read closely enough before my overly optimistic post.

Deb

[tropical]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Sorry prepdeb.
There are so much pain on this world.

Maybe, when it will be imagin some totaly diferent way of healing, without the technic of animals/human probe/error/probe/... , the humanity can achieve an thrue antimicrobial systemic way.

[Giuseppe]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Researchers at Canada's McGill University have discovered a way to make cells in mice virtually immune to some viruses, including the flu.

I remember a monographic issue of Scientific American journal in 1999, where a 'miracle' drug called oseltamivir may saved the world by 1997 avian influenza virus-led pandemic.

[JJackson]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Interferon is a key player in cellular passive immunity and the NS1 gene - in flu - is involved in suppressing its activity. HP AI A/H5N1 and the 1918 pandemic form of A/H1N1 both seemed to be particularly effective at this which may, at least in part, account for their virulence.

Regretfully this is literally too good to be true. If this really had clinical potential there would need to be an analogous pair of genes in humans. If this were true then it is safe to assume these genes can be found in a wide range of mammals and possibly other animals. This implies they are ancient and, if they served no useful purpose, would not have survived. So, if my logic is sound, there must be some benefit to down regulating interferon production. If you could temporarily block expression of these genes in the early stage of infection then that may be useful but, like Tamiflu, to be effective this would need to be done early in infection to prevent NS1 and viral production overwhelming the cells capacity to produce Interferon.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

I would assume they're not talking about GM humans, but rather finding some substance that would act on those genes.

JJ, you have an important point....

This implies they are ancient and, if they served no useful purpose, would not have survived. So, if my logic is sound, there must be some benefit to down regulating interferon production.

The negative impacts of interferon treatment are many & serious, see

http://www.interferon.ws/

Interferon regulating genes are discussed at:

http://www.interferon.ws/NIAID.htm

These cited references are discussing a manufactured modified interferon, so the adverse effects may not occur with naturally produced interferon. However, I'll still agree with JJ - there must be a benefit to the down regulation of interferon production!

This site contains so many references to studies saying that science doesn't fully understand the functioning of the immune system, that my inclination is that it may not be wise to fool with a system that works quite well most of the time.

.

[prepdeb]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

AlaskaDenise,

I just checked the link of adverse reactions to interferon.
I can attest that it is horrible stuff, at least when introduced to the body from outside.

A dear friend of ours survived lengthy treatment on it.
Shortly after announcing that he had succeeded in suppressing the virus through treatment, he committed suicide.

I'll always be glad I stopped taking it, even though the doctor was angry with me. At four months, I was beginning to have pain in my eyes and had heard there were cases of retinal detachment associated with interferon use. Even though I'm not prone to depression, I felt horribly depressed after taking it for awhile and for quite awhile after stopping treatment.

Sometimes the alleged cure is worse than the disease.

[Anne]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

naturallly interferon has some unfavourable effects, like depress.
when someone have influenza ( or viral illness ), this personn feels “depressed”, without energy, tired, anergic. It's effects of interferon

Tiredness is less deep ( and not the same ) with a bacterial disease .
Prebdeb, thank you for your testimony.

[Coleman]

Re: The beginning of the end of influenza

Does this address to siRNA?

http://www.biotechnews.com.au/index.php/id;1618974329;fp;4;fpid;1014

http://www.csiro.au/files/files/pe8p.pdf