New Wonder Drug Kills Almost Any Virus

[Reaganomics]

Uhmmm...

DRACO effectively targets and kills those human cells...

Can I just wave a little warning flag here? If it can do that to infected cells...it can possibly do that to uninfected cells...

If I'm understanding what was written correctly DRACO should target only the cells being infected by dsRNA virus. This should eliminate the ability of the virus to reproduce in the body and infect more cells. I suppose part of their further testing would include making sure there are no horrible side effects on healthy cells.

If proven viable, DRACO could quite literally be the fabled "cure for the common cold."

The Rhinovirus (common cold) is an ssRNA virus not a dsRNA virus, therefore would not be affected by DRACO.

 

[ben117]

Basically it is a universial anitigen.

 

[KnowYourOnion]

Eh, the viruses will eventually adapt. At some point, it's going to be overused and will face very similar problems to what we are having with antibiotics.
It's no "cure" but a prevention, a treatment until we can find something more foolproof.

Also, it's very stupid to try and erase viruses, They help all life to evolve in a sense of an endless arms race. They mutate into something powerful, we develop more powerful immunities.

So it was stupid to erase smallpox was it?

 

[Tilted_Logic]

This sounds amazing. Although at first glance (disregarding the obvious explanation) my only thought was 'we've invented something to kill healthy cells... what if something goes wrong and DRACO starts destroying every healthy cell it can reach?' I don't want my body committing suicide

Of course, I understand that's not how it works at all, but yeah... first impression, kind of freaky xD

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Sooo.... AIDS?

I'm guessing this is far to early to consider the possibilities or else this'd be on all the evening news shows already.

 

[tobi the good boy]

I keep seeing these miracle cures pop up here on the escapist but no one ever does anything with it or gets anywhere. Call me a cynic but this is just going to filled away somewhere like every other miracle.

 

[IceStar100]

Tell people screw it up by taking the drug tell they feel better and not wiping the germ and or virus and they learn to beat it.

 

[Sporky111]

What happens if those infected cells are necessary..?

Also I can see either forcing a virus to rapidly spread in a victim to escape destruction or DRACO will go all SKYNET and see every cell as a potential enemy and take preemptive action by removing the human race..

Also was anyone else thinking this sounds like it could easily be turned to kill all cells, if that is true we just technically invented our own flesh-eating virus.. yay for science

I don't think so. DRACO is made from proteins that bond to dsRNA; proteins that our body already produces to defend against viruses (human cells have DNA for their genetic information, not RNA). Yeah, there could be problems if the virus has infected many cells already, but if that were the case then the cells would most likely die anyway. As I understand it, a DRACO stops the virus from being able to spread, rather than simply attacking it.

 

[Goldeneye103X2]

Sounds great!
What if it mutates evilly though :/

Nemesis, that's what happens. And then many Resi fans shall rejoice and shite their undercrackers at the same time.

Either that, or we all end up having Eraserhead babies.

Spoiler: Hint: Thats not a good thing!

 

[Alar]

Good to here. Now all we need is a cure for cancer and were golden.

Might I direct your attention towards this, then: http://www.dca.med.ualberta.ca/Home/Updates/2007-03-15_Update.cfm

A potential cure for many (if not most) cancers. Still needs lots of testing, mind you, but so does DRACO.

 

[Dragunai]

I'm gonna take the low road here and say -
Anyone else notice how the purple bit looks like a vagina?

Har har har

As for super cures, I'm pretty sure this is the lead in to most bad science horrors...

 

[EternalFacepalm]

It's called "DRACO". It WILL, at some point, wipe out all life as we know it.

 

[M920CAIN]

Does it cure cancer, aids, whateva? if not... meh.

 

[similar.squirrel]

How long till it goes evil and causes zombies!
DAM YOU SCIENCE!!!!!!!1111110ne

(If anyone takes that seriously I will puch them in the jaw)
(via text)

Seriously though, if you name it "DRACO" it IS going ot be responsible for wiping out 99% of the planet overnight.

Well, I'd like to know more about this "Works on a fundamental level" thing. I mean, with retroviruses common through our history, we have virus RNA in all human DNA. So, what's to stop this from somehow deciding to press the "Self destruction" button on all cells?

I'll go ask my sister. She knows things about stuff and sciences and what not.

I was also wondering about this.. How would it differentiate between endogenous retroviruses and your run-of-the-mill, infectious kind?

But I guess they have it figured out. You don't get into MIT if you can't get these things figured out.

 

[Ham_authority95]

Very nice. They'd better test it well, though. I don't want it destroying my DNA, if I could afford it.

 

[souper soup guy]

Wow, this is unbelievably great, this could solve so many problems, especially if you could make it cheap enough for distribution.

 

[Hellkite_Overload]

The neat bit is that DRACO should, in theory, work on almost any virus, as instead of attacking the virus directly (as conventional treatments would), it instead targets the viral "food supply."

Please tell me I'm not the only one who IMMEDIATELY thought of halo after this line...

The Master Chief: The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses, we can wipe them out.
Cortana: You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill Flood, IT KILLS THEIR FOOD! Humans, Covenant, whatever; we're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death, and that's EXACTLY what Halo is designed to do; wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don't believe me? Ask HIM.
[points to the Monitor]
The Master Chief: [turns to the Monitor with a serious demeanor] Is it true?
343 Guilty Spark: ...More or less. Technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of up to 25,000 light years. But, once others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid of life. Or, at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood. But you already knew that. I mean... how couldn't you?
Cortana: Left out that little detail, did he?

EDIT: But seriously, this is good if it works. I don't think anything can become "resistant" to having it's food kill itself and become inedible.

HAHAHAHAHA, I definitly did, almost emediately. Good to know I'm not the only one!
OT: this sounds great and all, but pardon my skepticism :/ My friends's grandfather (who I'm very good friends with) once took a drug with a similar claim of curing the common cold. It caused him to completely loose his sense of smell, it's been a year or two now, an he still hasn't regained it. The damage seems permanent. so, all fears of a Halo-esque nightmare scenario aside, does anyone else feel that something like this has the potential to be VERY dangerous? Particularly if it is misapplied (and we're humans, so we're going to mess it up, no question)thoughts?