Message boards : Rosetta@home Science : Swine flu.
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P . P . L . Send message Joined: 20 Aug 06 Posts: 581 Credit: 4,865,274 RAC: 0 |
Hi. Would it be possible for Rosetta to work on this type of bug or others like bird flu. I'm just asking because this one could get a lot worse. C.D.C. pete. |
Mod.Sense Volunteer moderator Send message Joined: 22 Aug 06 Posts: 4018 Credit: 0 RAC: 0 |
PPL, I believe the scientists will find your question difficult to answer simply because doing so might imply far more then they intend. You point to an immediate need for the technology that Rosetta seeks to create. Since that technology is not fully developed yet, it is hard to say "yes". But, yes, this sort of instant threat to health is exactly why it is important to perform the research that is being undertaken in BakerLab, and that we are all helping with as we crunch Rosetta@home. Viruses are living organisms and have specific proteins that are unique to HIV, or a strain of the flu, or whatever. And the technologies being devised will some day support targetting these specific viral proteins with treatments and vaccines. But there is much to be learned before that day arrives. The present technologies are very time consuming and expensive. This is why BakerLab has been working to provide medical science with better tools to apply to specific conditions such as the swine flu you mentioned. Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense |
mikey Send message Joined: 5 Jan 06 Posts: 1895 Credit: 9,169,305 RAC: 3,857 |
Hi. It might also require a cookie cutter approach to find a solution. I am not sure, not a Scientist, but would guess that with today's knowledge that may not be real easy to do AND still come out with usable results. The problem with most projects is that they write the workunits in such a way as to design it to do certain things. That thing may not translate well to other projects, in fact it may not fit at all. IF some project, Rosetta may be the perfect choice, could find a way to cookie cutter the Science end, swine flu as of today, then the answer is definitely YES! Unfortunately just because you find the cure for disease x does not mean that the same process will work for disease y. Sitting down and writing the parameters and all that other stuff may take longer than the disease lasts. The US Gov't has already started releasing some of the stockpiled TamiFlu, and something else, doses that can stop swine flu. The problem is it is only a few hundred people WorldWide so far. The common flu kills thousands of people just in the US every year!! According to this site http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030107.htm "Using new and improved statistical models, CDC scientists estimate that an average of 36,000 people (up from 20,000 in previous estimates) die from influenza-related complications each year in the United States." And that was in 2003!!!! So far the Swine flu, while seemingly easy to spread, isn't on a par with the common flu! I am not saying it can't get there, but a little knowledge can go a long way to preventing hysteria! The News Media is NOT helping!!! |
P . P . L . Send message Joined: 20 Aug 06 Posts: 581 Credit: 4,865,274 RAC: 0 |
Hi all. An interesting read this is! New 3-D structural model of critical H1N1 protein developed. Eurekalert pete. |
P . P . L . Send message Joined: 20 Aug 06 Posts: 581 Credit: 4,865,274 RAC: 0 |
It had to happen. A Pandemic Is Declared On June 11, 2009 You can read more on the C.D.C. web site, link on my first post. pete. |
P . P . L . Send message Joined: 20 Aug 06 Posts: 581 Credit: 4,865,274 RAC: 0 |
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mikey Send message Joined: 5 Jan 06 Posts: 1895 Credit: 9,169,305 RAC: 3,857 |
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robertmiles Send message Joined: 16 Jun 08 Posts: 1232 Credit: 14,281,662 RAC: 1,807 |
If you want to find an especially useful swine flu treatment, see if you can get this group to tell you which protein they directed their vaccine against: Breakthrough In Universal Flu Vaccine Development, Japan http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/137953.php Since it's the protein the virus uses to attach to human cells, any virus with this protein mutated isn't likely to be able to attach to human cells, and therefore should not be able to affect humans. It's also likely that most other flu viruses have the same protein, and therefore any treatment against flu viruses with this attachment protein should also work against most other types of flu. |
robertmiles Send message Joined: 16 Jun 08 Posts: 1232 Credit: 14,281,662 RAC: 1,807 |
I found some information about two osteoporosis medicines recently found to kill some flu viruses: Flu research finds key in osteoporosis drugs http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200908/20090815/article_410775.htm Osteoporosis drugs effective in killing flu viruses http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316481/posts Osteoporosis Drugs Effective in Killing Flu Viruses http://www.topix.com/drug/aredia/2009/08/osteoporosis-drugs-effective-in-killing-flu-viruses Osteoporosis Drugs Effective in Killing Flu Viruses http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539908,00.html Phosphoantigen-Expanded Human gammadelta T Cells Display Potent Cytotoxicity against Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Infected with Human and Avian Influenza Viruses. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19656068?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Osteoporosis Drugs May Help Kill Flu http://www.blisstree.com/articles/osteoporosis-drugs-may-help-kill-flu/ You might want to check if these molecules bind to a swine flu protein, and if so, make sure you've checked if you've included enough other biphosphonates in the molecules you're checking. May require that your software be able to handle phosphorus atoms that are not part of a protein. Note to anyone wanting to try these medicines - they have enough side effects that you should read up on the side effects before trying them. |
mikey Send message Joined: 5 Jan 06 Posts: 1895 Credit: 9,169,305 RAC: 3,857 |
I found some information about two osteoporosis medicines recently found to kill some flu viruses: DARN, here I was hoping to get rid of this toe ache AND prevent Swine Flu at the same time!!! Those darn side effects!!!! |
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Swine flu.
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