Is this legit? I have no idea what to make of it.
There are tons of things that would kill HIV - strong acid, fire, lasers, but it doesn't mean it's good for the rest of the body.
True, but bee venom wouldn't be harmful to anyone now would it? :P
Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
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Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#32Condoms are already an effective preventative for sexual transmission of HIV. Will a person who's not using condoms be any more likely to use a "vaginal gel" ?
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#33Condoms are already an effective preventative for sexual transmission of HIV. Will a person who's not using condoms be any more likely to use a "vaginal gel" ?
Yes, women who may not have control over condom use.
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#34Condoms are already an effective preventative for sexual transmission of HIV. Will a person who's not using condoms be any more likely to use a "vaginal gel" ?
Condoms are effective, yes, but they do occasionally break. It seems to me like a second layer of defense is a pretty good idea.
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#35I am curious, would nano particles filled with salt or any other substance also do the same thing? I mean if you can get close enough to the virus, you could kill it anyway you like.
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#36Condoms are already an effective preventative for sexual transmission of HIV. Will a person who's not using condoms be any more likely to use a "vaginal gel" ?
Sure, if that person wants a pregnancy but doesn't want to transmit HIV -- a scenario mentioned in the article.
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#37Nanoparticle safety still unknown: http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/nanotechnology-...
I know that is a generic article, but is it safe or not? Is it worth the chance to put it in lube as mentioned?
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hood also sees potential for using nanoparticles with melittin as therapy for existing HIV infections, especially those that are drug-resistant. The nanoparticles could be injected intravenously and, in theory, would be able to clear HIV from the blood stream.
But the reservoir for HIV infection, the thing that makes clearing HIV particles from the blood insufficient to cure it, is the CD4 T-cell. So just clearing the blood of HIV will not be curative.
How bad would it be if you injected something that killed all CD4 T-cells?
Like how long would it take until new ones formed and how vulnerable would you be until that happened?
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
But the reservoir for HIV infection, the thing that makes clearing HIV particles from the blood insufficient to cure it, is the CD4 T-cell. So just clearing the blood of HIV will not be curative.
How bad would it be if you injected something that killed all CD4 T-cells? Like how long would it take until new ones formed and how vulnerable would you be until that happened?
That's in essence what HIV does. You'd give the patient a quicker onset of AIDS. Perhaps if you eradicate the rest of the HIV and keep the patient stable in some other way this could work... but I think this sort of scorched earth method isn't/wouldn't be as attractive as a targeted cure due to the period you'd have full blown AIDS.
Re: Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
#40HIV will just mutate so the particle can't bind to it anymore and stops working. The real solution is better immune system design.
Doubt it. As I understand it, the outer envelope is a fairly important functional part of HIV - it needs to be very similar to normal human cells or the immune system will destroy the virus.