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After centuries of giving humanity little more than nicotine and death, the tobacco plant may be the wellspring of a revolution in gene therapy.
Scientists are using a modified tobacco virus to deliver delicate gene therapies into the heart of diseased cells, with the potential to treat most cancers, viruses and genetic disorders.
The tobacco mosaic virus, which plagues the plant but is harmless to humans, is hollowed out and filled with "small interfering RNA" molecules, or siRNA, which some scientists consider to be the most significant development in medicine since the discovery of vaccines.
The virus' tubular shell provides a safe way to slip the delicate siRNA drugs into cells, serving as both a protective coating and a Trojan horse.
"This tobacco mosaic virus is literally a nano-sized syringe," says William Bentley, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Maryland, who is leading the study of the virus.
Originally posted by Aluroth
I found this article interesting. With this it's possible that all disease could be cured. But is that a good thing? I'd have to say no.
As I see it, disease serves a purpose to help reduce and control the population. If all disease was cured the death rate would drop drastically. The world is already overpopulated as it is and with less people dying and more people procreating it would cause massive overpopulation. Unemployment would rise and crime would go up etc.
So, while dying sucks, I'd have to say that AIDS, Cancer, etc. serves a purpose and curing it all would be a bad thing. But thats just my two cents.
Originally posted by Hunablazer
Just want to reply to a post by Aluroth.
If you had cancer/aids/heart disease/etc. Would you still think this is a bad thing? I think most people in that situation would believe it is good, not bad. Sure the world may get over populated, just hope that science can make space travel more effective, so we can find, explore and inhabit other earth-like planets. Then it will be much harder for us to over-populate, and people will remain happier, knowing they can spend that little bit more time with their loved ones.
Originally posted by MBF
My family and I have been tobacco farmers for generations. This has been discussed for at least a decade or more so this is nothing new. Just don't think that the tobacco farmers will get rich from this because they WILL NOT.
Originally posted by MBF
I assume the "insecticide that kills 440,000 people each year in the United States alone" you are referring to is tobacco or nicotine. Neither tobacco nor nicotine are insecticides. Tobacco use alone is not a guarantee of death.
# Natural insecticides, such as nicotine and pyrethrum, are made by plants as defences against insects. Nicotine based insecticides have been barred in the U.S. since 2001 to prevent residues from contaminating foods. [1]
Nicotine is approved by the FDA as an insecticide. Its effectiveness is similar to that of organophosphorous compounds, and it is one of the few poisons that bugs have not evolved resistance to (5). However, our exposure to nicotine is usually from cigarette smoke. Whether used as an insecticide or drug, the mode of action is the same. Nicotine inhibits the function of acetylcholine receptors located at the neuromuscular junctions. In general terms, it causes stimulation of the ganglions in low doses but causes blockade at higher concentrations. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (named for their interaction with nicotine, and not to be confused with the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor) are 270kD proteins with 4 subunits located in the CNS (Figure 3). Under normal conditions, a change in calcium ion concentration releases acetylcholine from storage vesicles. Acetylcholine then crosses the synaptic cleft and binds to the alpha subunit of the nicotinic receptor causing a conformational changes which opens an ion channel, allowing the passage of cations. This depolarizes the postsynaptic membrane initiating an action potential in the adjacent membrane, and thus a signal is transmitted. (Figure 4) Nicotine stimulates, then blocks the acetylcholine receptor, locking the ion channels in the open position and impairing signaling ability (7, Lippincott).
The tobacco alkaloid nicotine has been used as an insecticide since the middle of the 18th century. This compound is miscible with water and is often formulated as the sulfate salt. Nicotine has excellent contact activity, due to its ability to penetrate the integument of insects. This property increases the hazards of handling nicotine, as its contact toxicity to mammals is also significant.
Originally posted by MBF
Fungicides do not kill tobacco viruses unfortunately.
Originally posted by Mad Larkin
Originally posted by Hunablazer
Just want to reply to a post by Aluroth.
If you had cancer/aids/heart disease/etc. Would you still think this is a bad thing? I think most people in that situation would believe it is good, not bad. Sure the world may get over populated, just hope that science can make space travel more effective, so we can find, explore and inhabit other earth-like planets. Then it will be much harder for us to over-populate, and people will remain happier, knowing they can spend that little bit more time with their loved ones.
Overpopulation will be far worse that a few million dieing a year from cancer. Until we employ some regulation on reproduction then we don't deserve the cures for our ills. We need to take responsibility, we are not the innocent victims here.
As for traveling to other planets, overpopulation will afflict us probably long before we even send a man to Mars never mind somewhere outside of out solar system.
Originally posted by FadeToBlack
Originally posted by MBF
My family and I have been tobacco farmers for generations. This has been discussed for at least a decade or more so this is nothing new. Just don't think that the tobacco farmers will get rich from this because they WILL NOT.
I never stated it was new, nor did I say they would get rich. You are putting words in my mouth.
Originally posted by MBF
I assume the "insecticide that kills 440,000 people each year in the United States alone" you are referring to is tobacco or nicotine. Neither tobacco nor nicotine are insecticides. Tobacco use alone is not a guarantee of death.
But nicotine IS an insecticide (When I mention Tobacco, I refer distinctly to nicotine as an insecticide). Naturally occuring insecticides I might add. I never said anything about tobacco use gauranteeing death. You are putting words in my mouth again.
en.wikipedia.org
# Natural insecticides, such as nicotine and pyrethrum, are made by plants as defences against insects. Nicotine based insecticides have been barred in the U.S. since 2001 to prevent residues from contaminating foods. [1]
Even at one time, the FDA approved the use of nicotine as an insecticide!
islandcounty.net
Nicotine is approved by the FDA as an insecticide. Its effectiveness is similar to that of organophosphorous compounds, and it is one of the few poisons that bugs have not evolved resistance to (5). However, our exposure to nicotine is usually from cigarette smoke. Whether used as an insecticide or drug, the mode of action is the same. Nicotine inhibits the function of acetylcholine receptors located at the neuromuscular junctions. In general terms, it causes stimulation of the ganglions in low doses but causes blockade at higher concentrations. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (named for their interaction with nicotine, and not to be confused with the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor) are 270kD proteins with 4 subunits located in the CNS (Figure 3). Under normal conditions, a change in calcium ion concentration releases acetylcholine from storage vesicles. Acetylcholine then crosses the synaptic cleft and binds to the alpha subunit of the nicotinic receptor causing a conformational changes which opens an ion channel, allowing the passage of cations. This depolarizes the postsynaptic membrane initiating an action potential in the adjacent membrane, and thus a signal is transmitted. (Figure 4) Nicotine stimulates, then blocks the acetylcholine receptor, locking the ion channels in the open position and impairing signaling ability (7, Lippincott).
But was banned due to it's harmful effect on mammals.
ipmworld.umn.edu
The tobacco alkaloid nicotine has been used as an insecticide since the middle of the 18th century. This compound is miscible with water and is often formulated as the sulfate salt. Nicotine has excellent contact activity, due to its ability to penetrate the integument of insects. This property increases the hazards of handling nicotine, as its contact toxicity to mammals is also significant.
Originally posted by MBF
Fungicides do not kill tobacco viruses unfortunately.
A
Source?
[edit on 9/6/2008 by FadeToBlack]
Originally posted by MBF
And what happens to the 440,000 people that die from its use? You can call just about anything an insecticide, some people use soap and call it an insecticide.
Originally posted by MBF
I wish that somebody would have told the insects that I had to spend thousands of dollars on insecticides every year that they were eating an insecticide and to die and save me a lot of money.
Originally posted by MBF
Fungicides kill fungus. A virus is not a fungus. Viruses are mostly spread by insects although there are other modes of transfer. As for my source, decades of experience.
I meant source where you started talking about fungus and fungicides. When did we start talking about fungus? This is about utilizing a tobacco virus shell and putting RNA in there for possible gene therapy/vaccines/ect.