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posted by n1 on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:13AM   Printer-friendly
from the protecting-human-assets dept.

From RT:

Blood transfusions containing genetically engineered cells could be the future of countering germ warfare, according to new research sponsored by DARPA, which hopes modified blood cells could help neutralize biological toxins deployed against soldiers.

"We wanted to create high-value red cells that do more than simply carry oxygen," says Whitehead Founding Member Harvey Lodish, in a statement published on the Whitehead Institute website. Lodish collaborated with Whitehead Member Hidde Ploegh in the project.

The breakthrough study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which harvests Lodish's expertise in red blood cells (RBCs) with biochemical methods developed in Ploegh's lab. Referred to as "sortagging," the approach uses "bacterial enzyme sortase A" to bond between the surface protein and a substance of choice, "be it a small-molecule therapeutic or an antibody capable of binding a toxin." Such modifications leave the cells unharmed.

Trials on laboratory mice have been "positive" and the researches have outlined potential applications.

"Because the modified human red blood cells can circulate in the body for up to four months, one could envision a scenario in which the cells are used to introduce antibodies that neutralize a toxin," said Ploegh. "The result would be long-lasting reserves of antitoxin antibodies."

Researchers hope that the method could be used to deliver drugs to human organs and in a number of benign medical treatment practices, such as treating stoke.

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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by mhajicek on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:27AM

    by mhajicek (51) on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:27AM (#63363)

    You'd have to know ahead of time exactly which toxins you'll encounter, and can probably only inoculate against a few at a time. The counter of course is to use a variety of agents.

    --
    The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:52AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:52AM (#63368) Journal

      The counter of course is to use a variety of agents.

      Hmmm... drones... you think they can develop an anti-toxin for them?

      (ducks)

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 03 2014, @03:01AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 03 2014, @03:01AM (#63383)

      If Shadowrun has taught me anything, it is that if you have enough money you can get even better implants that will clean out extra toxins.

      • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Thursday July 03 2014, @06:00AM

        by davester666 (155) on Thursday July 03 2014, @06:00AM (#63418)

        breast implants clean out toxins?

        you learn something new every day. Now I have to convince my gf that she needs the biggest implants so she gets the best protection again toxins. well, except for maybe silicon.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by romanr on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:55AM

    by romanr (102) on Thursday July 03 2014, @01:55AM (#63372)

    Oh yes! Star-trek nanoprobes are here (or at least first stage of them). Resistance is futile!

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Theophrastus on Thursday July 03 2014, @03:44AM

    by Theophrastus (4044) on Thursday July 03 2014, @03:44AM (#63391)

    one helluva lot of significant medical developments have been the direct/indirect result of treating (and now -pre-treating-) soldiers. anesthetics, trauma and burn treatments, surgical techniques, super-glue, antibiotics, basic medical hygiene (thank you Florence Nightingale), food preservation (Napoleon's troops), transfusions, ....
    it's enough to make a life-long pacifist -siiigh-

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 03 2014, @11:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 03 2014, @11:35AM (#63511)

      Wars have indirectly provided a lot of benefits - the internet and GPS already, significant improvements in prosthetic limbs and even more on the way, exoskeletons and self-driving vehicles grow closer every day - most of these were developed primarily for the military's benefit, to be used in war or to help with some of the side effects of war.