DNA vaccines and pharmaceuticals
nucleicacids@usa.net
Fri, 12 Dec 1997 04:56:20
Dear Extropians,I think it is my duty to inform you of the importance of a new molecular technology that holds enormous potential for humanity. I’m sure you have heard of nucleic acid vaccines. I have included a text that explains the basics of this technology. As many people as possible should become aware of this unique technology. Let us get this meme into the brains of as many journalists, scientists and engineers as possible. The new methods have the power to trash the entire pharmaceutical industry and put control in the hands of the „little guy". Thank you !---/cut/-----------------------------------------------DNA vaccine technology for everybody !!!In recent years, a new technology has emerged. Instead of injecting proteinaceous particles to provoke an immune response, naked nucleic acids ( DNA, RNA ) can now be used to lead to protein synthesis which then triggers an immune reaction. This nascent technology holds a lot of promises for many areas of biomedicine. There!
are numerous applications, vaccination being only one of them. Theoretically, it could be applied to every situation where a protein is needed. Injection of a gene into muscle tissue could not only lead to antigen production but also make the host tissue produce a naturally occurring hormone such as human growth hormone. It could produce antibody fragments or even certain protein drugs. Closely related to gene therapy, this nucleic acid pharmaceutical technology could usher in a new era of body modification. Further refinement of the methods of producing these nucleic acids could enable almost anybody to produce these substances in a very small laboratory. Eventually, there may be small PC-size machines that at the cost of a desktop computer can function as a complete pharmaceutical production facility. They can be connected to the Net and able to churn out any kind of nucleic acid / pharmaceutical at almost zero cost. Needless to say, this decentralization threatens the powe!
r of the pharmaceutical giants and their multibillion-dollar protein industry. It is vastly cheaper than the conventional method that relies on proteins. Nucleic acids don’t have to be refrigerated and can be stored without solution. Even developing countries could eventually afford any kind of pharmaceutical substance. Today, the conventional three-step Hepatitis B vaccination ( based on protein injection ) costs about $ 250. The novel approach using nucleic acids could be accomplished for less than a dollar while probably being just as effective. This is a plea from an insider in this industry : please help disseminate knowledge of this technology. The more people know about it, the harder it will be to stop it. Please check out the DNA vaccine web at
http://www.genweb.com/Dnavax/dnavax.html
Powerful forces, including the pharmaceutical industry and the US Food and Drug Administration, are trying to hide the implications of this new technology. We need to assume the power to create our own pharmaceuticals. We can decide for ourselves on the management of our bodies.
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