ethics
02-22-2005, 10:46 AM
As some of you may know, certain virii escape notice from our immune system. How and why they do this is (imho) 80% towards the road to a cure. Canadian scientists MAY have discovered the how on HCV.
The researchers report that the virus escapes detection because its external coat mimics immunoglobulin, one of the immune system's warriors. Further, the virus may evolve to maintain or improve its camouflage as time goes on, they suggest.
Because the immune system is set up to attack only things it considers foreign, it does not attempt to destroy the virus.
"If you want to hide in a forest, it's often good to look like a tree," explained Dr. Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa and senior author of the paper.
Let's hope this will get us to a f<a href="http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=1b7a9ad7-30df-46e4-bd5e-0e1032bf8535">asttrack path to a cure.</a>
The researchers report that the virus escapes detection because its external coat mimics immunoglobulin, one of the immune system's warriors. Further, the virus may evolve to maintain or improve its camouflage as time goes on, they suggest.
Because the immune system is set up to attack only things it considers foreign, it does not attempt to destroy the virus.
"If you want to hide in a forest, it's often good to look like a tree," explained Dr. Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa and senior author of the paper.
Let's hope this will get us to a f<a href="http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=1b7a9ad7-30df-46e4-bd5e-0e1032bf8535">asttrack path to a cure.</a>