Researchers May Have Created A H1N1 Flu Strain Capable Of Evading The Immune System
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Back in June, we heard of a controversial study conducted by a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers that generated an influenza virus with similar characteristics to the infamous 1918 pandemic flu virus.
The research was criticized by many and branded as crazy, foolish and dangerous by experts.
Now, according to The Independent, lead researcher Yoshihoro Kawaoka has gone one step further by manipulating the 2009 H1N1 flu strain so that it can evade the immune system.
The 2009 influenza A H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic is estimated to have resulted in between 151,700 and 575,400 deaths within the first year that the virus circulated.
While that may pale in comparison to the 1918 pandemic “Spanish” flu virus that killed an estimated 50 million people, given the number of people exposed to the 2009 virus it is likely that a large number of individuals worldwide are now immune to this particular strain.
Kawaoka, however, has reportedly deliberately produced a strain that is capable of escaping immune responses.
We are sure many of you are yelling “Why?!” right now.
According to Kawaoka, the research was designed to shed light on the changes required for immune evasion in order to guide the design of new flu vaccines.
To do this, the researchers selected immune escape viruses in the laboratory and successfully identified the key regions that would enable this characteristic.
“Viruses in clinical isolates have been identified that have these same changes in the [viral protein]. This shows that escape viruses emerge in nature and laboratory studies like ours have relevance to what occurs in nature,” Kawaoka told The Independent.
While further details are currently unknown, Kawaoka reportedly stated that the study is due to be submitted for publication shortly, which does not necessarily mean that it will be accepted.
Aside from talks with The Independent, the only other source of information comes from members of a scientific meeting held earlier this year who have expressed concerns about the information that Kawaoka shared.
“He took the 2009 pandemic flu virus and selected out strains that were not neutralized by human antibodies. He repeated this several times until he got a real humdinger of a virus,” one of the scientists told The Independent. “He used a flu virus that is known to infect humans and then manipulated it in such a way that it would effectively leave the global population defenseless if it ever escaped from his laboratory. He’s basically got a known pandemic strain that is now resistant to vaccination.”
Of course, the research was not conducted ? nilly and it is highly unlikely that the virus will escape, but it is not impossible.
This therefore begs the question of whether this research should be conducted.
Is it realistically going to be of benefit to the population or contribute to the field?
Flu is exceedingly hard to predict despite what we know about it, therefore the usefulness of this study is difficult to see at this stage.
Just because researchers can create these viruses, it does not mean that they should. Potential risks need to be seriously weighed up against the benefits, and in this case the benefits seem hazy.
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/researchers-may-have-created-h1n1-flu-strain-capable-evading-immune-system#1Xu9suVFyZ2TccBv.99
The research was criticized by many and branded as crazy, foolish and dangerous by experts.
Now, according to The Independent, lead researcher Yoshihoro Kawaoka has gone one step further by manipulating the 2009 H1N1 flu strain so that it can evade the immune system.
The 2009 influenza A H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic is estimated to have resulted in between 151,700 and 575,400 deaths within the first year that the virus circulated.
While that may pale in comparison to the 1918 pandemic “Spanish” flu virus that killed an estimated 50 million people, given the number of people exposed to the 2009 virus it is likely that a large number of individuals worldwide are now immune to this particular strain.
Kawaoka, however, has reportedly deliberately produced a strain that is capable of escaping immune responses.
We are sure many of you are yelling “Why?!” right now.
According to Kawaoka, the research was designed to shed light on the changes required for immune evasion in order to guide the design of new flu vaccines.
To do this, the researchers selected immune escape viruses in the laboratory and successfully identified the key regions that would enable this characteristic.
“Viruses in clinical isolates have been identified that have these same changes in the [viral protein]. This shows that escape viruses emerge in nature and laboratory studies like ours have relevance to what occurs in nature,” Kawaoka told The Independent.
While further details are currently unknown, Kawaoka reportedly stated that the study is due to be submitted for publication shortly, which does not necessarily mean that it will be accepted.
Aside from talks with The Independent, the only other source of information comes from members of a scientific meeting held earlier this year who have expressed concerns about the information that Kawaoka shared.
“He took the 2009 pandemic flu virus and selected out strains that were not neutralized by human antibodies. He repeated this several times until he got a real humdinger of a virus,” one of the scientists told The Independent. “He used a flu virus that is known to infect humans and then manipulated it in such a way that it would effectively leave the global population defenseless if it ever escaped from his laboratory. He’s basically got a known pandemic strain that is now resistant to vaccination.”
Of course, the research was not conducted ? nilly and it is highly unlikely that the virus will escape, but it is not impossible.
This therefore begs the question of whether this research should be conducted.
Is it realistically going to be of benefit to the population or contribute to the field?
Flu is exceedingly hard to predict despite what we know about it, therefore the usefulness of this study is difficult to see at this stage.
Just because researchers can create these viruses, it does not mean that they should. Potential risks need to be seriously weighed up against the benefits, and in this case the benefits seem hazy.
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/researchers-may-have-created-h1n1-flu-strain-capable-evading-immune-system#1Xu9suVFyZ2TccBv.99
Comments
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So these ? in the lab making better/more efficient diseases?
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Some how, some way, this will end up getting out.
Sometimes, scientist trying to do something for the good end up, indirectly, doing it for the worst.
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I dont trust oriental scientists.
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Why though?
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Biological Warfare coming soon to a Hood near You .
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Gotdamnit....
Why do they do these things? Why?
What is the purpose?
They won't gonna be satisfied until they create in the real life t-virus..... -
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We dead.
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Yea because A.I.D.S. is so yesterday.
? ' ? . -
Next news headline "millions in, insert black countryaffected with insert new disease"
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Next news headline "millions in, insert black countryaffected with insert new disease"
asian or latin countries, too.. -
Some how, some way, this will end up getting out.
Sometimes, scientist trying to do something for the good end up, indirectly, doing it for the worst.
Most of the time
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Oriental is a rug or decorum, bot a raceLou Cypher wrote: »I dont trust oriental scientists. -
? it with fire!
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Gotdamnit....
Why do they do these things? Why?
What is the purpose?
They won't gonna be satisfied until they create in the real life t-virus.....
Population control and weaponizing is my guess. -
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Just like they created ? .
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Not cool.
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Oh this makes sense. Since they really have no real cure or prevention for the flu, they decide to make an even more powerful flu.
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My brother died from swine flu in 2009 within 9 days. I could only imagine this ? right here smh
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Reminds me of stephen kings The Stand
I'd imagine the obvious aim for this is to be able to pre empt a cure on these super viruses and get a better understanding of them. -
pissedoffnobody wrote: »ojos_negros wrote: »Reminds me of stephen kings The Stand
I'd imagine the obvious aim for this is to be able to pre empt a cure on these super viruses and get a better understanding of them.
You don't put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it. Making something worse is just making something worse even if you think it will get better.
You do get a better idea of how gasoline acts as a catalyst though.
I'm obviously no scientist I just assume this is how they get down. By creating something you are far more likely to get an understanding of what that something actually is and therefore what can break it down etc. Studies such as this may actually help to find a cure for the common cold/ flu which mutate so much that I believe are starting to get out of hand.
All conjecture, of course, I'm just assuming they didn't do this just for the ? of it.
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Like I say though, these things are constantly changing and mutating so how else to get one step ahead of something that could day alter itself beyond our present cures/undrstanding anyway.
Besides, I think they're always at this type of ? . This is just the one we've heard about. -
Resident evil/I am Legend/zombie land coming right up.
