MIT researchers developing technology that could "cure nearly any viral infection"

Wow, did you see this article from MIT News?

New drug could cure nearly any viral infection
Researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Lab have developed technology that may someday cure the common cold, influenza and other ailments.

Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection.

Todd Rider invented the PANACEA and DRACO antiviral therapeutics, and previously invented the CANARY (Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields) sensor for rapid pathogen detection and identification.

You can read the story here at MIT News.

Swine flu deaths around the world exceeding 1,100

According to this CNN story, the World Health Organization is reporting that global swine flu deaths are exceeding 1,100. We know that H1N1 is an unstoppable pandemic. This virus has spread in six weeks like how the common flu virus spreads in six months! We're waiting for effective vaccines and I'm sure we'll see them. The question in my mind is: will we have enough vaccines?

So who should get the vaccine?

The priority groups include pregnant women, health care and emergency services personnel, children, adolescents and young adults from six months to 24 years of age, household and caregiver contacts of children younger than six months and healthy adults with certain medical conditions.

Even though there are strong public health campaigns to get people vaccinated, we know that some simply won't receive the vaccine. Either they will refuse it, or they won't have access to medical care. Some won't make it a priority and they won't get the swine flu vaccine in time. Will we have enough anti-viral therapies for all those who don't receive a vaccine?

Hospital worker may have exposed patients to hepatitis C

This is a very sad and disturbing story. A surgical technician has at Rose Medical Center in Denver has admitted to secretly injecting herself in a bathroom and using unclean syringes as replacements for patients. Kristen Diane Parker had hepatitis C, presumably from IV drug use, and she took patient fentanyl injections and replaced them with saline. She worked at Rose from October 2008 to April 2009. So far, nine patients who had surgery there during that time have tested positive for hepatitis C. That is really a shame. Parker should have gotten professional help for her drug addiction. Now, Parker is in federal custody facing three drug-related charges. If she is found to have done serious harm to a patient, she could face up to 20 years in prison. If a patient dies due to her actions, she could face life in prison.

According to CNN, in a statement to police, Parker said, "I can't take back what I did, but I will have to live with it for the rest of my life, and so does everyone else." Rose Medical Center is contacting 4,700 patients who had surgery at Rose during the time Parker was employed there. Another 1,200 patients may have been infected between May 4, 2009, and July 1, 2009, when Parker worked at Audubon Ambulatory Surgical Center in Colorado Springs.

Hepatitis C can be treated, but the treatment regimen isn't easy to take. Advances in antiviral therapies have improved outcomes for hepatitis C and several new and novel agents are in development. Advances in drug development may lead to a quick and easy cure for hepatitis C. Wouldn't that be nice? I know many people who are infected with hepatitis C due to blood transfusions. We (as the medical community) didn't know how to identify hepatitis C before 1992. It was called non-A, non-B viral hepatitis. We now call it hepatitis C. Chronic infection can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. It can even lead to liver cancer. To read the CNN story, click here.

Advances in HIV/AIDS treatment

It's quite amazing when we look back at advances in HIV and AIDS treatment. CNN has a story titled, "A generation born with HIV/AIDS defies the odds." I hope this title or story doesn't give people the wrong idea. Some people out there may think that HIV and AIDS are not serious conditions. They may think that the majority of patients with HIV and AIDS live for a very long time when they read something like, "With advances in medicine, the babies born with what was once thought of as a sure-fatal virus have danced at their high school proms, walked on stage to receive their diplomas and even experienced the birth of their children."

The reality is that HIV and AIDS are still killing many people each day. In this picture, teenagers born with HIV/AIDS are paying respect to their deceased friends at the memorial tree. Perhaps the important message is that HIV patients need support and community. The CNN story talks about a group of HIV-positive teens called the Kool Kids. Patients with HIV can support each other as they take their antiviral medications and endure various side effects. They can encourage each other when their HIV friends pass away from AIDS-related complications. It's great to see that advances in HIV/AIDS treatment have resulted in fewer pills and better ways of measuring and evaluating drug resistance. I still wonder if we'll ever develop an effective HIV vaccine. Because the virus mutates so frequently, it may never happen. Perhaps advances in medical technology will prove me wrong.

To read the story on CNN, click here. Image source: CNN

Does CMV Cause Hypertension?

CMV (cytomegalovirus) is a common virus that infects people here in the U.S. According to the CDC, 50% and 80% of adults are infected with CMV by the age of 40. Reuters is reporting that a study (that involved mice, not people) found that CMV infection causes high blood pressure or hypertension. The theory is that CMV infection may cause persistent inflammation of the blood vessels, predisposing them to conditions like atherosclerosis. The theory makes sense if you consider the fact that many virus infections cause chronic changes that even lead to cancer (like HPV and cervical cancer). So, if chronic vascular inflammation due to CMV is a common cause of hypertension in adults, does this mean that hypertension can be "cured" in some cases with antiviral therapy? Image source: Reuters