In mice
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Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
121–130 of 159 posts
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#122IN MICE should be added to this title
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#123IN MICE should be added to this title
No need: this is always the top comment
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#124This seems too good to be true. Respiratory infections kill and debilitate a lot of people. If cranking up the innate immune system all the time reduced illness with no downsides, you'd think evolution would have done it already, but it didn't, which makes me think there's probably a downside, and the fact that the innate immune system is only cranked up when a pathogen is detected is probably because the downside is…
You wouldn't have to do it all the time. Modern humans are much more likely to get a respiratory infection in the winter (I get sick once a year like clockwork). It could be worth stimulating your innate immune system for a few months every year during flu season. Or before traveling.
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#125Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, and to get there we use immunity that is activated on demand. Clearly that was better from evolutionary perspective than preactivation or always-on.
> Yes, and to get there we use immunity that is activated on demand. Clearly that was better from evolutionary perspective than preactivation or always-on. I don't think you understand evolution. Neither needs to be "better" for anything other than survival to reproduction. Evolution isn't min-maxing in a video game.
I don’t think you understand it, if you cannot connect the dots. And of course “survival for reproduction” is oversimplification of what’s actually happening. Chances for survival to reproduce of some individuals are greatly influenced by survival of their relatives in the same group. The traits that help whole group to survive will win in natural selection, including those that extend survival beyond what’s necessary to reproduce to what’s beneficial for the group.
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#127This seems too good to be true. Respiratory infections kill and debilitate a lot of people. If cranking up the innate immune system all the time reduced illness with no downsides, you'd think evolution would have done it already, but it didn't, which makes me think there's probably a downside, and the fact that the innate immune system is only cranked up when a pathogen is detected is probably because the downside is…
Such as autoimmune disorders or other hyperinflammatory disorders? Graves’ disease, lupus/SLE, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, myasthenia gravis, Addison’s disease, Hashimoto, Goodpasture, etc.
Yes, i was thinking just this. Having been prescribed multiple immunocompromisers, turning up my immune system sounds terrifying. There's all these supplements and things that talk about boosting your immune system and i get probably most are unrelated, i don't have the time to get a degree in immunology to find out. Zinc does well enough for me, thanks. But if any immune boost started to increase my tnf-alpha or il-23 i'd be on the long and painful road to a terrible death. Or yet another high side effect medication.
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#128This is cool but I’m sorry, that’s not a vaccine - it’s a prophylactic. A vaccine or inoculation is named because it creates a sustained adaptation to a targeted antigen. Something that boosts immune response is not an acquired adaptation! This would need to be re-upped every month or so. Good for travel and brief encounters. Not an actual immunization. Not too mention boosting cell growth factors can have unintended…
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Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#129This seems too good to be true. Respiratory infections kill and debilitate a lot of people. If cranking up the innate immune system all the time reduced illness with no downsides, you'd think evolution would have done it already, but it didn't, which makes me think there's probably a downside, and the fact that the innate immune system is only cranked up when a pathogen is detected is probably because the downside is…
> If cranking up the innate immune system all the time reduced illness with no downsides, you'd think evolution would have done it already, but it didn't, which makes me think there's probably a downside,
Auto-immune diseases are the downside. There is no way that this ends up being safe or recommended for use outside of epidemic situations or short term occupational hazards.
Re: Universal vaccine against respiratory infections and allergens
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
calling the immune system simple and mechanical is completely wild, like half of americans have some kind of medically diagnosable immune dysfunction
The immune system operates at level far below where we get "tired" -- worrying that we'll "use up" the immune system seems similar to worrying that exercise will "use up" our lifetime allotment of heartbeats.
The concern isn't "using up" the immune system, the concern is the immune system gets all revved up looking for something to kill, and not finding pathogens handy, attacks your own organs.