Efficient mRNA delivery to resting T cells to reverse HIV latency | Hacker News Reader

Efficient mRNA delivery to resting T cells to reverse HIV latency

nature.com

110 pointsmatthewmacleod26 comments

Also discussed here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44202664

I wonder if this can be used for other latent viruses that embed in cells like herpes and chickenpox/shingles.

That would be interesting because both of those have links to various late-life neurological conditions aa well.

Yeah, latent EBV would be great too since it seems to be one of the main causes of MS.

I believe this is already being researched with mRNA now, it would be amazing if it works out and we could treat all of these.

Not just those but there are various other lesser known latent viruses such as JC virus and BK virus. Most of us are infected with these viruses latently. For most of us, they do nothing (that we know of!) for life. For the immunosuppressed (eg AIDS, organ transplants), because there is no immune system to keep these viruses "latent", they do actually reactivate and cause problems. For viruses which operate by embedding themselves in the DNA itself, such that for some time the virus may only exist as information encoded in some nucleotides and not a physical virus, to cure that would be a powerful achievement

MRNA therapies have such high potential, there really ought to be much more public education and outreach to prevent people falling down the quackery rabbit hole. I don't just say that to pile on to the quacks. It's so detrimental and costs so many lives that it's probably a target for influence by adversary nation actors.

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Unsubstantiated skepticism is unhealthy.

One requires a better reason than simply because they were told that their skepticism is unsubstantiated.

Lobotomy's were viewed to have so much high potential back in the day that they won the Nobel prize.

In true scientific fashion both sides would ideally just stick with the facts.

There's no "both sides" in science.

I mean, there is the side that is backed by evidence and the one that is not. That’s two sides. I just don’t feel inclined to listen to the side that is not.

I guess the side that give the Nobel prize to lobotomies wasnt backed by evidence?

Or were they backed by evidence?

And then stronger more compelling evidence came out later against?

Thats kind of how science works, its a process of discovery not a set in stone right/wrong.

Things arent as reductionist as you claim, it does people good when they open their world up to that fact.

Not only in science. Even (or especially) in impartial journalism or public debate, there's no valid reason why any unfounded (thus illegitimate) opinions should get as much consideration as sound and researched arguments.

If we hadn't had a pandemic in which lots of people lost their collective minds and an irresponsible political machine that took advantage of that, mRNA would be pretty universally hailed as the miracle it is.

That aside, yes. Education is important. Sadly at least in the US some of the people who lost their minds are now in charge of such education.

This article asserts that white blood cells are the target, but we also know that (within the brain) astrocytes and [iirc] microglia can bear latent infection.

Is such a carrier capable of addressing latent reservoirs inside the blood-brain barrier? Can it cross the barrier, pervade the cerebrospinal fluid, then penetrate all infected cells?

White blood cells are a fantastic achievement, but far from the whole story.

Part of the pushback was the use of censorship apparatus during COVID. Science is supposed to be open to dispute, and silencing opposing opinions only adds to the conspiracy fuel.

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