Comments on: DARPA: Let's Get Rid of Antibiotics, Since They'll Be Obsolete Anyway

By: agent

agent — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:31:49 +0000

Frank V. si-RNA could be used as a mass genocidal weapon but so could modern antibiotics in the same sense. Cleverly designed viruses or bacteria could have resistances to all known antibiotics except those whose formulation is known only to a very limited circle of producers. The disease spread would be far more rapid than a new antibiotic could be formulated, produced, and distributed.

The concept is interesting but ultimately very frightening as the si-RNA ‘switching’ could, in theory, inadvertently incorporate itself into the human genome with unknown effects. Nevertheless, it’s a future vision worthy of pursuit and theoretically capable of treating viral infections such as HIV (unlike modern antibiotics). However, I’m not sure that si-RNA won’t become obsolete and even counterproductive twenty or thirty or more years from now in a parallel to traditional antibiotics. That being said, I’m sincerely glad the medical establishment isn’t seriously discussing the silver nano-particle [colloidal silver] fad as the solution to bacterial resistance.

By: Avi

Avi — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:59:45 +0000

To Drizzling in Seattle : The way I understand Development via siRNA, is a process to develop an artificial assistance to original immune system which would lead (eventually) to an artificial immune system itself. The point to note that we should be playing with the life forming elements like RNA with utmost care & deploy it onlt as a last option, as there is nothing left to help us if they go bad in anyway, No levels left in the game…ZOMBIEs would be a close reality…….We never know.
We should understand that our original immune system is so strong and super intelligent that we are still working on surface of it. It is quite like bacteria’s restraint development system, we have pulled it down and weakened it via our synthtic lifestyle.
Humankind should try to develop itself using natural means like nature develops it, we move so fast and furious that rather in the effort of development, we disturb & destroy and then years after we turn back. That is why, we are seeing ORGANIC nowadays…If we do not learn from our own mistakes we did through misdeploying our synthetics in agriculture and medicines, may be we will be back to grow ORGANIC HUMAN & ORGANIC HUMAN GENOME itself in not distant future…
It would be necessary for our survival that we go to basics and nature in all possible ways and put sustainable synth only if it is needed. If we do not learn from our mistakes, then we know what we call ourselves…

By: Jay Fox

Jay Fox — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:31:44 +0000

The current system of antibiotics is like using a sledge hammer to swat mosquitoes off your arm. You’ll kill the bug, and bruise your arm in the process.

The proposed system would identify the problem and target a treatment at only the problem, not the entire organism (us). What’s not to like?

Whatever the technology, there is always room for abuse by unscrupulous individuals. The potential for good far outweighs it, in this case.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 02:36:42 +0000

@NewEnglandBob

About 2 years ago I came down with something similar. It started as an ear infection, 2 days later the whole right side of my face had swollen so much that I looked like the elephant man. By day 3 I had puss just coming from the side of my cheek, but no sores. It was some of the worse pain I have ever had and it put me in the hospital for over a week. Anyway docs didn’t have a clue what it was, that’s even after sending specimens off to labs. They said I was very close to death and none of the antibiotics appeared to be doing much good. around day 5 I started getting better, the doctors said that it appeared as if my own immune system did most of the work not the antibiotics. Even though they couldn’t get a conclusive results from the labs, they believed it was an ear infection the moved into the sub-dermal tissue and behaved kinda like a staff infection. They put me on a Z pack (zithromax?) first for the ear infection and it did absolutely nothing. I guess my point is, I think they should do away with antibiotics too. They are prescribed too much and too soon, no one ever gives they’re immune system a chance to fight off anything and with the way people are so anti germ and dirt etc. it amazes me our bodies are able to fight anything. I take care of my health and don’t avoid germs and dirt like its the plague, and when I do come down with something I let my body fight it as long as I can usually can stand it or as long as it doesn’t appear to be worsening, and I never get a flue shot. We have become so afraid of getting sick that we run off to the doctor for antibiodics for things as simple as a runny nose and we avoid germs and dirt like the plague. I believe it is because of this that most people have week immune systems. Well that’s my 2 cents.

By: Ahmed Kazikian

Ahmed Kazikian — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:44:45 +0000

bacteriophages! that is all

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:16:54 +0000

oops, that’s supposed to read if your wound doesn’t start to heal in3 to 5 days or gets worse seek medical attention & it was on the back of a tube of over the counter antibiotic cream I was using, it only took a week for the infection to spread & leave a scar, I caught it before it spread more & a fever set in. My old coworker remembered form his childhood that his cousin died from an infection caused by an absessed tooth when I later asked himhow he knew the connection between a sudden fever & a tooth ache. If we can’t step up to plate & help each other out, than what are are we doing here?

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:36:21 +0000

of course, us lay people that have suffered/recovered from treatable infections shouldn’t share experiences in hopes of saving someone else’s life or limb. Let me tell you something no dr, nurse or dentist ever told me that a urinary tract infection, an absessed tooth, or cellulitis can still kill you in this day & age. It was mostly ‘lay people” that hepled me out & saved my life. Should I have never thought to myself “holy crap, mom’s fever is spiking, I’d better call an ambulance,”I may have saved her leg at the very least. It freaking said on the bottle of nyquil or something if a fever doesn’t improve in 3 days, seek medical attention & that’s what I did. Should my male coworker not have told me about getting antibiotics asap when I mentioned in passing that my toothache stopped, but now I have achey muscles & a fever? Should the young intern never have spoken up when I showed up at an emergencey rooom with yet another fever, he yelled at the top of his lungs to get me a room/ a spinal tap & urinary test Now. If I saw him tomorrow I’d shake his hand, turns out I had a tract infetion that turned into a kindney infection, & came very close to taking me out. The young man thought it might be meningitis, he was wrong but I’m lucky he was there, he wasn’t even working the floor I was on, he just saw me put money in the soda machine & decided to step in. Donot think that us “lay people” know nothing or don’t want people to seek real medical attention. Oh & should my mom had not reminded what happens if you don’t get cellulitis treated asap, I had made a drs. apt for it, my mom said in 6 weeks (when my apt was) it’s going to be alot worse, find someone to treat it now. Yea, cause how would she know? It’s not like she’d been there. & it was on the antibiotic I was using, if your wound doesn’t heal get worse, what you think I made that up?

By: Frank V.

Frank V. — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:20:10 +0000

DARPA might be on this for the use of siRNA as a massive genocide weapon.

1. If you miss a particular gen, you don’t die.
or even worse,
2. If you have a particular gen, you don’t die.

By: minneapolitan

minneapolitan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:22:14 +0000

somewhat of a disingenous argument re: MRSA since we wouldn’t have that without systemic misuse of antibiotics by the agricultural industry. but regulation is a 4 letter word these days & of course its foolish to think people would be willing to to pay slightly more for safe, humanely raised meat products if they better understood the consequences of mass produced livestock.

By: dcwarrior

dcwarrior — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:43:26 +0000

I always wondered why whoever regulates drigs doesn’t require pharmaceutical companies to rotate classes of antibiotics out of use then back in, so that germs don’t necessarily maintain their resistance to them?