Possible Aids cure?

Hey I would do this in a better fashion but I am busy at work suddenly but this is still pretty cool news. Hopefully this leads to a cure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080229/hl_hsn/monkeygenethatblocksaidsvirusesevolvedmorethanonce

FRIDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- A gene in Asian monkeys that may have evolved as protection against a group of viruses that includes HIV has been identified by Harvard Medical School researchers, who add that their finding suggests the current AIDS epidemic is not a new kind of scourge.

The TRIM5-CypA gene found in Asian macaques is a hybrid of two existing proteins, TRIM5 and CypA. This combination creates a single protein that blocks infections by lentiviruses.

This is the second time a TRIM5-CypA hybrid gene has been identified in monkeys. The other one -- TRIMCyp -- was found in South American owl monkeys in 2004. But it's not likely that these two gene combinations arose from a single common ancestor, the Harvard researchers said.

TRIM5-CypA wasn't found in monkey closely related to the Asian macaques and TRIMCyp wasn't found in any other South American primate species. This suggests that the two combination genes evolved separately, once in the macaques and once in the owl monkeys.

This development of similar genetic adaptations in different species is called convergent evolution. A prime example is the development of flight in bats and in birds.

The fact that adaptations involving TRIM5 and CypA occurred at least twice in primates suggests that this combination provided a strong evolutionary advantage, the Harvard researchers said.

It may be possible that the combination genes developed to prevent infection by prehistoric viruses related to modern HIV, they suggested. If this is true, it could mean that an AIDS-like epidemic is not unique to the current time, and such outbreaks may have afflicted the primate ancestors of humans.

The study is published in the Feb. 29 issue of PLoS Pathogens.

interesting stuff, especially coming so soon after this story.

You mean AIDS isn't the hand of God, here to spank us for being naughty?

I hope this does lead somewhere. Hope is about all we have concerning AIDS and HIV.

I read the Yahoo story, but the story didn't give me the feeling they are closer to a cure - it just gave me the impression that scientists have discovered that:

I've had a lot on my mind this morning, so maybe I just didn't see the cure part.

1970 Department of Defense Appropriations - HB 15090, Part V.

^
Colinism explained that he hopes this LEADS to a cure.

If you're trying to explain, rebutt or contribute, you may want to post your point and then a source. I doubt anyone here is going to go back and research that because you posted it here without any context explaining what it was meant to explain.

In 1969 a group of microbiologists working for the DoD requested Congressional funding to create a weaponized synthetic biological agent that could suppress the immune system. It was approved, appropriated 10 million dollars, and given a ten year window for research and development. Conditional on its development was a simultaneous anti-retrovirus program for its antidote.

Just pop HB 15090 into any search engine and read the testimony and minutes of the scientists requesting funding. It sounds eerily like AIDS.

If the DoD did not create HIV, it should be disclosed what became of this appropriated research program that attempted to intentionally develop an HIV-like virus, as well as the anti-retrovirus.

That is easily the worst and most pathetic attempt at strawman style "debunking" I have ever seen. No one is saying anything about "the CIA."

Are you claiming that HB 15090 doesn't exist ? That the 1970 appropriations bill didn't pass ?

I am not saying that the Special Cancer Virus program "is AIDS."

I am saying that the DoD requested and was granted $10 million to develop an immune system suppressant bioweapon. <---- that appropriations package is not disputed by any official account.

When Snopes decides to prove that HB 15090 "doesn't exist" or that the documented and recorded testimony of the scientists requesting appropriation in front of the subcommittee "doesn't exist," - then I'll be satisfied.

Notice Snopes won't touch that subject with a ten foot pole. Instead it is debunking some vague unsourced strawman shit about "the CIA."

Though it is interesting to note that HIV does not infect chimps and SIV does not infect humans. At least according to the imperical word of Wikipedia.

Honestly I haven't thoroughly researched HIV and all the claims and angles. At least this is turning into a potential debate about the origins of AIDs and not one where trolls deny any HIV/AIDS connection.

Perhaps someone with access to a library of these things would like to find a copy of HB 15090 and post a few more pages. Those two are all over the place, and nothing in the image of "page 129" indicates its source as being within HB 15090. It could have been typed by whoever first posted the image, frankly.

vermicious_knid said:

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

you know, there are synthetic biological agents that take several minutes, not years, to express themselves. The fact that you would rather believe that AIDS is a product of this funding initiative instead of looking at actual evidence of work being done by the DOD at Ft. Detrick is really telling.

Well, several studies have found that some HUMANS, those who's ancestors survived the Black Death, in one case, have genetic immunity to AIDS. Knowing what those genes are and how they work will help us figure out ways to stop the virus. However, I hate these suggestions that we might be able to "give" people the gene. The is tough.

I still see in these suggestions a potential misunderstanding of the fundamental action of natural selection on a population. That's it, there, actually. Natural selection acts on individuals, but causes evolution in populations. It kills some individuals and allows others to survive.

So genes, when they're discovered, are useful mostly because they can tell us how things work, and why there's variability in how things work.

I was thinking about that myself. And while I'm as much of a conspiracist as the next guy, the way they talk about the virus seems like text out of a bad b movie.

Mr. Sikes: Are we doing any work in that field?
Dr. MacArthur: We are not.
Mr. Sikes: Why not? Lack of money or lack of interest?
Dr. MacArthur: Certainly not lack of interest.

Hmmm. So the DoD killed Freddie Mercury?

Bastards.

In all seriousness, I think it's quite a stretch to make the link between the document posted and HIV/AIDS - especially taking into consideration the original story posted by Colinism.

The document claims:

According to the Yahoo story, it appears that this very virus (or one remarkably similar to it) has indeed existed before.

You might also claim that the DoD is responsible for the avian bird flu according to the document you posted.

I caught a bit of this speech on the Scientific American podcast and it was very discouraging.

How long was the speech? The sections quoted in the article do make it sound pretty bleak. I was actually surprised by just how bleak it seemed, but then I'm not exactly up with all the latest research.

He spoke for an hour, but only 5 minutes on AIDS. Here is the SciAm podcast where you can hear it. It comes about a minute into the podcast.

Interesting, thanks. I haven't heard that podcast before, but I think I'll check it out in future.

I am saying that we need full disclosure of the research, development, and testing that occurred with that DoD program.

This country's funding of various scientific and DARPA endeavors has put humans on the moon, regularly launches satellites into space, developed the world wide web, the Manhattan project, developed sophisticated smart weapons and robotics, and made the U.S. the pioneer in most future tech fields, etc... the list of scientific achievement goes on and on and on.

Thirty-eight years ago appropriations were made for the DoD to develop a weaponized infectious pathogen designed to compromise the immune system of humans and designed to be contagious and easily spread. <---- I want to know the dirty details of that initiative and precisely what became of that project.

I want the DoD to release all relevant studies and information related to that program so that we can eliminate whatever was created as a potential candidate for the base/parent organism of HIV.

Their lack of cooperation in revealing their data, combined with their stated developmental timeline coinciding with the sudden appearance of AIDS in the population IS cause for concern.

I want to ***STOP*** the spread of the "conspiracy theories" - and the best way to do it is to release the information related to this program and exonerate the DoD from the speculation and accusations that it "created AIDS in a laboratory." As long as that data remains a secret - the speculations will persist.

While I don't know the exact details, this study also sounds promising.

Really? Can you find that study and post a link? I'd be interested in reading it.

Interesting . . . seeing as how everyone who has a European, Asian, Northern African, or Middle Eastern ancestor is descended from someone who survived the Black Death. So, I'd be interested in seeing that study, too.