posted 11-04-2000 12:56 PM            

"Aerosol delivery of prophylactic and therapeutic agents is potentially the simplest and most cost-effective way to protect or treat humans and animals from disease epidemics. In addition to this recent DARPA grant, Maxygen is the recipient of two additional DARPA grants in the vaccine area. In February 1998, Maxygen received a $5.6 million grant to evolve novel DNA vectors for efficient delivery and expression of pathogen antigens, and in April 1999, the Company received a grant of $7.7 million to generate novel vaccine antigens for a wide range of pathogens."

Why couldn't this be for inhalers of the type that asthmatics and veterinarians currently use? I for one, would rather not get stuck with needles anymore.

I am pretty sure this was discussed by myself and others a while ago on Cliff's board. I believe my theory and my person were laughed off at the time.

posted 11-04-2000 04:59 PM            

Look what else DARPA is paying Maxygen for: A way to decontaminate people, equipment and the environment after a biological warfare attack. We may not know about the aerosol vaccinations, but I don't think they are going to use inhalers for decontam of the environment. They are gonna have to spray that stuff everywhere...
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/bwd/upc/0034.html

quote:

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Pathogenic spore-forming bacteria like Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum, C. difficile, C. perfringens and C. tetani form spores which survive in harsh environmental conditions for extended periods of time........The possible use of spores in BW or terrorist activities argues for an enzyme-based, broad spectrum decontamination formulation for personnel, equipment and environment.

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posted 11-04-2000 06:37 PM            

They say that DNA shuffling is a revolutionary method for directed evolution in destroying these spores...but wouldn't the DNA shuffling only allow certain races to be protected if desired??

posted 11-05-2000 02:19 AM            

That's the chromosome level, I think...or "chrosome" as archie bunker refers to it.....

You are infering that selected off shoots of man would benift or be affected adversely...

correct ?

Who is they say ?

posted 11-05-2000 11:17 AM            

Seeker, at that url Thermit gave, that is what "they" were discussing...the methods of killing Biological Warfare spores. My thouhgts were, if they do this through a DNA shuffle, could it be a selective shuffle depending on certain DNA codes and patterns?

posted 11-05-2000 01:49 PM            

quote:

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Our DNAShuffling technologies work as follows: a single gene or multiple genes are cleaved into fragments and recombined creating a population of novel gene sequences. The novel genes created by DNAShuffling are then selected for one or more desired characteristics. This selection process yields a population of genes which becomes the starting point for the next cycle of recombination. As with classical breeding, this process is repeated until genes expressing the desired properties are identified.

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