5 ms·

Sequence-specific antimicrobials using RNA-guided nucleases

22 points by luu 11y ago

reasonattlm 11y ago
This and other unrelated approaches with similar end goals are why I don't give much credence to the standard issue sky is falling speeches regarding the end of effective antibiotics. Too many people can't look forward, think in terms of a stasis of present resources and technologies, and can't see the possibilities for progress. In this case the research community will soon enough shift to approaches that bacteria simply can't evolve resistance to because they selectively target mechanisms and structures that are vital. That's a theme in cancer research as well these days.
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  Scientific and technological progress is inherently unpredictable, so betting on a miraculous discovery coming just in time to save your sorry ass is at best an unwise course of action. The "sky is falling" speeches are meant to direct public attention (and funding) to the research that can prevent the doomsday scenario, and also to discourage people from doing asinine things (like abuse of antibiotics).
  - deciplex 11y ago
    Is there a name for cognitive bias where extremely unfavorable events like the end of antibiotics, or a permanent technological dark age, or the extinction of the human race, are dismissed a priori with no justification? Like, something so bad that obviously someone would do something about it, without showing that someone really would or, indeed, whether someone even could. Somehow, this cognitive bias never manifests when we're talking about government overreach, in which All Laws I Don't Like Eventually Lead To Totalitarianism - but antibiotic resistance? Apparently no big deal.
noname123 11y ago
Thanks luu for posting this paper. I have a quick question about "the specific DNA [sites]" in carbapenem-resistant bacteria that "RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) targets". Would then this involve regular iterations of new designs of this "RNA-guided" anti-biotics, as newer strands of carbapenem-resistant bacteria evolves and there are new DNA site variations that the anti-biotic needs to target? (Otherwise, if the design is not constantly updated, would it only create evolutionary pressure to select out the current dominant strand of carpaenem-resistance in favor of potential newer mutations?)
- jobu 11y ago
  It could also be used to target genes for producing toxins (like the verotoxin produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli). Which would be less of an uphill battle against selection pressure for antibiotic resistance and still make the bacteria mostly harmless to humans.
srunni 11y ago
The full text can be found here: http://www.rle.mit.edu/sbg/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Sequence-specific-antimicrobials-using-efficiently-delivered-RNA-guided-nucleases.pdf http://www.rle.mit.edu/sbg/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Sequen...

22 points by luu 11y ago

This and other unrelated approaches with similar end goals are why I don't give much credence to the standard issue sky is falling speeches regarding the end of effective antibiotics. Too many people can't look forward, think in terms of a stasis of present resources and technologies, and can't see the possibilities for progress. In this case the research community will soon enough shift to approaches that bacteria simply can't evolve resistance to because they selectively target mechanisms and structures that are vital. That's a theme in cancer research as well these days.

TeMPOraL 11y ago
Scientific and technological progress is inherently unpredictable, so betting on a miraculous discovery coming just in time to save your sorry ass is at best an unwise course of action. The "sky is falling" speeches are meant to direct public attention (and funding) to the research that can prevent the doomsday scenario, and also to discourage people from doing asinine things (like abuse of antibiotics).
- deciplex 11y ago
  Is there a name for cognitive bias where extremely unfavorable events like the end of antibiotics, or a permanent technological dark age, or the extinction of the human race, are dismissed a priori with no justification? Like, something so bad that obviously someone would do something about it, without showing that someone really would or, indeed, whether someone even could. Somehow, this cognitive bias never manifests when we're talking about government overreach, in which All Laws I Don't Like Eventually Lead To Totalitarianism - but antibiotic resistance? Apparently no big deal.

noname123 11y ago

Thanks luu for posting this paper. I have a quick question about "the specific DNA [sites]" in carbapenem-resistant bacteria that "RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) targets". Would then this involve regular iterations of new designs of this "RNA-guided" anti-biotics, as newer strands of carbapenem-resistant bacteria evolves and there are new DNA site variations that the anti-biotic needs to target? (Otherwise, if the design is not constantly updated, would it only create evolutionary pressure to select out the current dominant strand of carpaenem-resistance in favor of potential newer mutations?)

jobu 11y ago
It could also be used to target genes for producing toxins (like the verotoxin produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli). Which would be less of an uphill battle against selection pressure for antibiotic resistance and still make the bacteria mostly harmless to humans.

srunni 11y ago

The full text can be found here: http://www.rle.mit.edu/sbg/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Sequence-specific-antimicrobials-using-efficiently-delivered-RNA-guided-nucleases.pdf http://www.rle.mit.edu/sbg/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Sequen...