Posted on 07/04/2008 9:57:35 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
WASHINGTON: US researchers reported that they may have found a way to flush out herpes viruses from hiding — offering a potential way to cure pesky and painful conditions from cold sores to shingles.
They discovered that a mysterious gene carried by the herpes simplex-1 virus — the one that causes cold sores — allows the virus to lay low in the nerves it infects.
It does so via microRNAs, little pieces of genetic material that regulate the activity of many viruses, the researchers report in the journal Nature.
It may be possible to "wake up" the virus and then kill it with standard antiviral drugs such as acyclovir, said Jennifer Lin Umbach of Duke University in North Carolina, who worked on the study. "We are trying to go into animal trials," Umbach said.
The Duke team is discussing a potential collaboration with Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture between Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc that specializes in microRNAs. Herpes viruses cause permanent infections. They head straight to nerve cells, where they stay latent for the life of an animal or person, often causing periodic outbreaks.
Herpes simplex 1 or HSV-1 causes cold sores, HSV-2 causes genital herpes, while varicella causes chicken pox and returns in middle or old age as herpes zoster to cause shingles.
/johnny
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
Happy Fourth of July!!!
From the article.
“It may be possible to “wake up” the virus and then kill it with standard antiviral drugs”
I am wondering, based on the article, if acyclovir the way I take it actually cures herpes. I know they have only started to study this potential, but it would be great to find out that I am really OK. The dr. said it could come back at any time and cause a second transplant.
You’re like Rocky...only without the ability to punch.
What happened was I stirred up a nest of people who don’t want to be told that sex outside of marriage is wrong.
Yeah, them cold sores are the direct result of sex...
Geez, some people don’t need any excuse to whine about people having sex...
I didn’t mention cold sores.
No donna, but you didn’t bother to read the article, either.
Otherwise the 2nd post out of the gate, by you, wouldn’t have been the usual knee-jerk scold about sex.
OMG! How awful for you. My husband has a big irregular red scar on his back that still itches after 6 months and may itch forever but that is still better than the eye. The man I mentioned who I said had it in his eye may have just have had it around his head and face, not his eye, now that I think about it. The woman I know who DID have it in her eye is blind in that eye. It will be wonderful if this new treatment works. My husband is 73 and his shingles hit him a couple of months after he had a double by pass. WE had not heard about the shingles vaccine until after he came down with it.
Not pretending, we all know what the article said, It's what you said that has raised a ruckus. As you can see we all immeadiately saw what you were trying to say.
Why are you running from your inference? Be brave, stand up for what you were thinking at the time you 'penned' your first post.
Yeah, we wouldn't want to scold anybody, LOL.
Don’t have sex out of wedlock. I’ll stand by it.
That isn’t what you said. I’m getting a good laugh out of you today.
My God, is she really this stupid, or is it something hormonal?!
Give it up. She’s determinedly obtuse.
Thanks for the links!
Oh I’m supposed to ping Donna to tell her that I think her fixation on sexual transmission of non sexual diseases is stupid? ok. Here ya go Donna. Get over it already. You try so hard to sound learned and logical and you are failing miserably.
You're scaring me! Thanks for the warnings!
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