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IP: Potential of genetically Engineered Viruses and Bacteria
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 18:36:36 -0500
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 14:52:08 -0500 From: ds2000 <ds2000 () mediaone net> >From ABC News, http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/SecondOpinion/secondopinion011116.html - Future Fears The Potential of genetically Engineered Viruses and Bacteria Commentary By Nicholas Regush Nov. 16 The potential for biological terrorism far exceeds the current bio-defense focus on anthrax and smallpox. Advances in genetic engineering have opened the door to limitless germ weaponry that could outfox vaccines and treatments. We must face it: The risk is there. Science, in its steady gains to manipulate genes primarily for the purpose of developing medical treatments, has made it possible for the design of lethal cut-and-paste versions of viruses and bacteria. All that's technically required to experiment and possibly develop a deadly variation of even a common germ is access to the standard gene manipulation technology now available in labs worldwide. Modified Viruses The big wake-up call came in February when Australian scientists at Canberra's Research Center for the Biological Control of Pest Animals, publishing in the Journal of Virology, showed how easy it was to modify mousepox, a fairly innocuous virus in mice, and turn it into a killer. Actually, the goal of the experiment headed by scientist Ronald Jackson was to develop a vaccine that would make mice infertile. The research was in response to an agricultural need to control mouse plagues in rural areas. Technically, the genetic engineering approach they used to accomplish the task is not such a big deal. The researchers first inserted a mouse egg protein into the mouse-pox. They were working with the assumption that the engineered virus would cause a mild infection in mice and trigger an immune response against the virus that would also produce antibodies against mouse egg protein, and, in turn, attack eggs, causing infertility. But the researchers wanted to be sure that there would be a strong enough immune response, and so they inserted another gene, one that produces interleukin-4 (IL-4), a naturally-occurring compound in the body that is involved in immune-system regulation. On the basis of previous studies, the researchers thought the IL-4, acting as part of a virus, would enhance the immune system response against the mouse egg protein. But they were wrong. The modified virus instead destroyed the livers and killed many of the experimental mice. Even about half of those mice in the experiment who were vaccinated against mousepox died. The mouse deaths reportedly caught the researchers off-guard, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. For one thing, there has been an over-reliance on sparse data suggesting that you can't take a common germ and upgrade it into a killer. Potential Dangers to Humans So, let's have a reality check here and consider more carefully what might be possible via genetic engineering. What about the implications of the mousepox research for humans? Would putting IL-4 into human smallpox, which is closely related to mousepox, increase its killing potential? The haunting answer, according to the same scientists, is that no one really knows. What about genetically manipulating other viruses or bacteria that affect humans? Even fiddling with common ones like chickenpox that could overwhelm known treatments and vaccines? Again, there is not enough scientific knowledge to say yes or no. The fact that it may be possible speaks for itself. Some scientists, including Ken Alibek, former Soviet germ warfare expert and author of Biohazard, have stated that a biodefense against germ warfare that focuses mostly on vaccines could be rendered ineffectual by the tools of genetic engineering. One view is that finding new treatments to fight infection might be more practical. But even treatments such as drugs could be outwitted by well-designed germs. The fact is, we may already have stepped into an open and uncharted territory where novel forms of bioterror become possible. Biodefense may now rest more on moral suasion and international cooperation, which is what germ expert and Nobel Laureate Joshua Lederberg suggested in a talk in 1998. Still, there is the specter of the lone wolf working in a tiny lab with modern scientific tools. How do we deal with that? Nicholas Regush produces medical features for ABCNEWS. In his regularly featured column, he investigates medical trouble spots, heralds innovative achievements and analyzes health trends. His own website is Nicholasregush.com. -- Dan S
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