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[rSpooky]

Hope the cure works/holds..


If so most importantly they live and so will many others in the future..




Also.. it will probably be a book/movie thing , which I hope they can use to bring some awareness to the people that suffer most from these kind of epidemics as well as poverty , war etc.

 

[Quixzlizx]

This could look bad, in Africa. There is already paranoia and ignorance about the virus and the aide workers have been blamed for the outbreak. Spin: Africans aren't worthy of the experimental treatment? Conspiracy: Cure for cancer being hidden.

It's OK, the people who are afraid of Western medicine would probably claim that the medicine is some sterilization conspiracy anyway.

 

[BronsonLee]

edit: need rest.

*looks at gray name* I guess you'll have some time for rest then.

I wonder what he got popped for?

 

[Sh1ner]

Off Topic:

This is fantastic news. Good job CDC.

Yay! The CDC works again!

Not if you seen episode 2 and 3 of the strain.

On Topic: It would be interesting if the laws may change around experimental drugs if this cure actually holds. I wish we knew more about this experimental cure in terms of how it works and how they came to create one that has to be frozen during transport.

 

[Jenov]

Wow, amazing! Hopefully they can mass market a vaccine very soon and help more people. Interesting that the military has so many little secret stuff like that.

 

[AmyS]

YAY Thank God.

Take THAT, Ebola!

Awesome job, CDC

 

[thesuperfunk]

Good job medical-sciencey people!

 

[TheOMan]

So we don't have to nuke Atlanta?

Let's not call off the strike just yet...

Actually, let me ask this, will it affect Destiny coming out? No?

Then, let's give it a day or 3.

Seriously though, this is great news!

Also, experimental drugs? Pretty sure this is how the Zombie Apocalypse starts up.

 

[djplaeskool]

Last I heard, researchers felt they were maybe 2-5 years away from having a workable vaccine. I hope these are prolific first steps in combating this infection.

Also:

 

[Maximus.]

Hope it works and removes it completely. Would be scary if they felt fine, but were still contagious.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Wow, the onion was spot on.

That's amazing though, progress is progress!

 

[Randolph Freelander]

That's awesome. Hopefully, the results are verified and will last. Then comes the task of getting more advanced trials and getting the medicine into the field.

 

[CDX]

Hope it works and removes it completely. Would be scary if they felt fine, but were still contagious.

I've read somewhere recently, if you're a male and if you're lucky enough to survive, supposedly the ebola virus will still be in your semen for the next 2 months.

 

[Burt]

Wow, the onion was spot on.

That's amazing though, progress is progress!

It is strange that a company that's likely invested years and tens of millions of dollars, if not hundreds of millions, into developing a treatment couldn't/wouldn't find a single person in the entire outbreak to run a trial with it until two Americans got infected. Not saying that The Onion was actually right, but waiting for infected Americans doesn't make much sense on the company's part.

 

[NastyBook]

So we don't have to nuke Atlanta?

Sounds like we're in the clear.

 

[angular graphics]

But GAF told me we should have killed the patients instead.

 

[Terra]

Hope it works and removes it completely. Would be scary if they felt fine, but were still contagious.

Apparently, you can be contageous for about two months after symptoms cleared. Someone, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

Knowing his dose was still frozen, Brantly asked if he could have Writebol's now-thawed medication. It was brought to his room and administered through an IV. Within an hour of receiving the medication, Brantly's condition was nearly reversed. His breathing improved; the rash over his trunk faded away. One of his doctors described the events as "miraculous."

Awesome. Imagine the feeling of knowing you're going to die (from experience), taking a last-ditch experimental treatment and it actually working! Miraculous is the word - what a lucky guy.

 

[U2NUMB]

Awesome news... I was wondering what was happening to these two doctors. Going to be VERY interesting to see how they recover and exactly what their future looks like.

 

[Kurdel]

Awesome. Imagine the feeling of knowing you're going to die (from experience), taking a last-ditch experimental treatment and it actually working! Miraculous is the word - what a lucky guy.

Yeah, if this incredibly dramatic account is accurate, holy shit.

 

[Neuromancer]

Brantly began to deteriorate and developed labored breathing. He told his doctors he thought he was dying, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the situation.

Knowing his dose was still frozen, Brantly asked if he could have Writebol's now-thawed medication. It was brought to his room and administered through an IV. Within an hour of receiving the medication, Brantly's condition dramatically improved. He began breathing easier; the rash over his trunk faded away. One of his doctors described the events as "miraculous."

That sounds like something out of a movie.

 

[MThanded]

Well played CDC.

It is strange that a company that's likely invested years and tens of millions of dollars, if not hundreds of millions, into developing a treatment couldn't/wouldn't find a single person in the entire outbreak to run a trial with it until two Americans got infected. Not saying that The Onion was actually right, but waiting for infected Americans doesn't make much sense on the company's part.

Much harder to limit extenuating factors outside of the heavily controlled environment here.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

Yeah, if this incredibly dramatic account is accurate, holy shit.

That shower the next morning must have been the best shower of his life.

 

[StickSoldier]

That's awesome I'm glad to hear it's working so far but I'm in the group of people who wonder why we haven't tried it on others who had to die and only waited for these two to be infected.

Well that doesn't matter anymore since its out there now,I hope we find out soon how effective the drug is in curing ebola so maybe we have signs of hope for the people in Africa.

 

[BruiserBear]

Cool story. Hopefully they can get this mass produced ASAP.

 

[M3d10n]

Soon

 

[andycapps]

That's awesome I'm glad to hear it's working so far but I'm in the group of people who wonder why we haven't tried it on others who had to die and only waited for these two to be infected.

Well that doesn't matter anymore since its out there now,I hope we find out soon how effective the drug is in curing ebola so maybe we have signs of hope for the people in Africa.

I'm wondering if the CDC wasn't quite happy with these vaccines before testing them on these patients, but that when news of some Americans getting infected became news, it moved their plans up. Having access to all the medical care at Emory which is almost one of a kind, and the way things came together to transport them here safely.. I'm sure those had something to do with who was chosen.

 

[GaimeGuy]

That's awesome I'm glad to hear it's working so far but I'm in the group of people who wonder why we haven't tried it on others who had to die and only waited for these two to be infected.

Well that doesn't matter anymore since its out there now,I hope we find out soon how effective the drug is in curing ebola so maybe we have signs of hope for the people in Africa.

Probably because we need both the country and the individual permission to administer the treatment? What country is going to say yes to letting a foreign country administer untested drugs to its ill?

 

[Armoured Priest]

Testing experiment treatments? Yeah, that's about what I figured as to why those two were/are being flown into Emery.

Its good that it seems to be working, and hopefully stemming from this an effective treatment that can be mass-produced.

 

[P44]

That's awesome I'm glad to hear it's working so far but I'm in the group of people who wonder why we haven't tried it on others who had to die and only waited for these two to be infected.

Well that doesn't matter anymore since its out there now,I hope we find out soon how effective the drug is in curing ebola so maybe we have signs of hope for the people in Africa.

Experimental, looks bad if you use it on other citizens and it fucks up and probably a shit ton of permissions needed that only came through recently.

 

[Turin Turambar]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014...ent-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/

Despite its fearsome behavior, Ebola is a fairly simple virus, with only seven genes. The gene that is essential for the virus to attach to human cells, called Ebola glycoprotein, has been identified previously. Antibodies that stick to this protein would be expected to block infection of new cells and target any virus circulating in the blood stream for destruction. The problem appears to be that an effective antibody response comes too late for the patients. (The virus also takes steps to tone down the immune response.)

The people at Mapp decided to do the immune system's job for it by making antibodies that can then be injected into infected individuals to perform the same function. The challenges are making the right ones and making enough of them.

To get the material they needed, the researchers turned to a well established technology called monoclonal antibody production. They injected mice with the Ebola glycoprotein, then fused individual antibody producing cells with a cancer cell. This produced a cell that continued to divide in culture, producing a single type of antibody. Some of these probably recognized cold and flu viruses, so the researchers had to screen for cells that made Ebola-specific antibodies. They identified three that stuck to different parts of the Ebola glycoprotein.

The problem at this point was that the antibodies were from mice. If injected into humans, the human immune system would recognize them as foreign and start an immune response against the treatment. So, the people at Mapp cloned the genes for these antibodies then swapped out parts, replacing parts of the mouse version with the human portion of the same gene and carefully avoiding alterations in the parts that recognize the Ebola protein.

Then, they needed to produce them in large quantities. So they managed to insert the genes into cells from a tobacco plant, which can be grown in large numbers with little fuss. The potential therapy was ready for testing.

Thanks genetic engineering!

 

[GaimeGuy]

Experimental, looks bad if you use it on other citizens and it fucks up and probably a shit ton of permissions needed that only came through recently.

Also this. The cdc undoubtedly had to request tons of waivers and emergency permissions for its actions that required the director's approval, as well as from the Dean of medicine at the hospital. Imagine having to involve diplomats from each country, other departments, and maybe even Congress. It's a mess

 

[The Adder]

What is currently available to help them recover?



The Majority of the world's countries are developing countries. Tier of country determines value of life?

Last time we busted out experimental drugs in Africa it didn't go so well...

 

[GungHo]

Why didn't they try it on any African people?

Because they can get legal consent from American medical professionals who are willing to live in a controlled environment and who are willing to sign away their right to sue in case it turns them into a morlock.

 

[andycapps]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014...ent-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/



Thanks genetic engineering!

Science is so cool, I really do hope that this cure works. Wiping out Ebola would be so awesome.

 

[WonkyPanda]

Modern Medicine. It's pretty cool.

I'll take my fruit bat blood, thank you very much.

 

[GhaleonEB]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014...ent-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/

Thanks genetic engineering!

Modern science is mind-boggling. The tools they're using now were science fiction, in the earliest stages of development, when I was growing up. Nice job, CDC.

 

[AmyS]

Resident Evil 5 won't scare the shit out of me anymore!

 

[Raist]

Modern science is mind-boggling. The tools they're using now were science fiction, in the earliest stages of development, when I was growing up. Nice job, CDC.

Actually that technology is fairly old. Around 20 years in its modern form, but even older for simpler versions. Most antibodies used in the clinic these days were developed in the same way, and there are some pretty old ones, like Rituximab which has its patent expiring next year.

 

[jstevenson]

This is potentially bad news actually if the CDC is so worried they are popping the cork on new stuff

 

[KHarvey16]

This is potentially bad news actually if the CDC is so worried they are popping the cork on new stuff

If they were worried they would have let them die in Africa.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

Resident Evil 5 won't scare the shit out of me anymore!

That's a parasite, not a virus.

You're still fucked!

 

[Quixzlizx]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014...ent-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/



Thanks genetic engineering!

I hope that GMO bullshit was labelled, so in the future I can avoid injecting non-organic poison into my veins.

 

[Raist]

I hope that GMO bullshit was labelled, so in the future I can avoid injecting non-organic poison into my veins.

Holy shit. Hahaha.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

I can't believe what I'm hearing here. What has medical science been doing all this time?

If our immune system kills them, then just come up with a drug that does what our immune system does. That's just simple logic. Or how about blasting them with radiation or something? That's another idea right there.

Honestly, I'm feeling really let down by medicine right now.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014...ent-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/

The people at Mapp decided to do the immune system's job for it by making antibodies that can then be injected into infected individuals to perform the same function.

I'm basically House.

 

[CornBurrito]

I'm basically House.

Except House didn't spout random ideas, including a fuckton of plainly stupid ones. He had medical knowledge and used that to reach a logical conclusion. You aren't like House.

And you were treating your idea as something that would be incredibly simple to produce, which it isn't.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I'm basically House.

How did you think vaccines work?

your body contains trillions of randomly generated shapes of antibodies. a foreign agent such as a virus has antigens which your body attempts to find an appropriate antibody for. Until it finds the antibody which binds to the antigen, it uses other, more primitive, brute force methods of containing the virus... raising its internal temperature to cook the virus, and also basically carpet-bombing the site of infection (this is why you typically get a sore throat with many cold viruses: The throat is the site of infection, and your body's immune system attacks parts of throat itself as collateral damage of taking out the infection).

Once the body finds the antibody which binds to the antigen, it very quickly begins producing them in mass quantities until the virus/bacteria/foreign agent is eliminated (this is why when you get an infection/virus, you "get better" rather quickly compared to the timeframe it takes you to get worse. You'll get sick over the course of 3-4 days, and then it takes only a day for you to get better, once your body finds the appropriate antibodies to attack the virus.

That's not all, though: After an antibody is found to be useful, the body maintains higher concentrations of the antibody in the blood to protect against future infections of the same virus. It remembers what the infection looked like and how it dealt with it and modifies its defense mechanisms to more quickly respond to the same line of attack in the future.

A vaccine is typically a completely harmless mix of dead cells spliced to have the antigens (binding sites/markers) of the actual dangerous agent. Your body learns how to attack the agent structurally, and then remembers it when an actual infection occurs.

If your body takes particularly long in locating the antibody for the harmless vaccine cells, you may experience some symptoms of illness (your body will raise its temperature and attack parts of the body the vaccine was injected at), but that just means your body happened to have a difficult time figuring out what to do.

 

[Burt]

I'm basically House.

If the only thing that can go the speed of light is light, just make the spaceships out of light, dammit!

 

[Nivash]

The most amazing thing about genetical engineering is just how insane it sounds if you don't know anything about it. Pluck a random person from 1964 and tell them that 50 years from now we're going produce a treatment for a horrible viral disease by infecting mice with it, drawing their blood, mixing their blood with cancer cells, alter the DNA from mouse to human and inject it into a tobacco plant.

They'd laugh their asses off at you and call that the most stupid idea for a science fiction flick since Plan 9 from Outer Space. 1960's mad science has nothing on modern real science! It's awesome!

 

[mckmas8808]

Modern science is mind-boggling. The tools they're using now were science fiction, in the earliest stages of development, when I was growing up. Nice job, CDC.

Two snaps for great science!