Stacey Smith
I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
sa smith
Posts by this author
February 5, 2013
I hate scary stories. They annoy me.
Its the same reason I dont fall back on pop-culture 'viruses' to explain real virology-- I dont need to make up fake scary viruses. There are REAL scary viruses.
Likewise, you dont need to make up scary stories about 'mad scientists'. There are very real humans…
February 4, 2013
This is one of the cool ideas not included in the 1800 human gene therapy trials because its still in animal models, not humans:
Preclinical Therapy of Disseminated HER-2+ Ovarian and Breast Carcinomas with a HER-2-Retargeted Oncolytic Herpesvirus
If Ive said it once, Ive said it 1000 times: '…
January 31, 2013
I wish I wish I wish this article was open access! ARG!!
Gene therapy clinical trials worldwide to 2012 - an update
This article is a great review of gene therapy as a therapy, and how it has evolved from an experiment that killed children to an accepted therapy that is saving and improving lives.…
January 28, 2013
Hey remember how I told you all scientists are using herpes, the regular-ol much hated cold-sore virus, to treat/cure cancers?
The approach has left us with miraculous effects... or no effects at all.
I mean, half of the melanoma patients lived A LOT LONGER than they were supposed to, several of…
January 25, 2013
GOOD NEWS! There are lots of different ways to do science. I like to tinker with/build stuff. After over two years of banging my head against a wall, another of my inventions, one I really wanted, is finally working!!!!!
BAD NEWS! Its only working at ~33% of capacity. I want 100%.
GOOD NEWS! I…
January 24, 2013
YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
You know that 'killer bird flu' I talked about at FreeOK2? Last year some governments FREAKED OUT because scientists evolved a mammal-to-mammal transmissible bird flu in the lab, and the government officials were concerned that The Worlds Stupidest Terrorists would try to use it as…
January 21, 2013
I love viruses.
And so should you.
:-D
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to The Thinking Atheist for putting this together and uploading it for us!!!
1-- I never talk more than 30-35 minutes, because that is the extent of my attention-span :-/ Which leaves at least 10 minutes for a Q&A!
2-- They…
January 18, 2013
Crazy random happenstance considering the post earlier this week on 'religious' vegans refusing the influenza vaccine in hospitals:
Flublok, a Flu Vaccine, Wins F.D.A. Approval
The vaccine, developed by a small company called Protein Sciences, is made with a process that does not require the virus…
January 16, 2013
I will give them this-- This is a new anti-vax argument for me:
Like most medical facilities, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital appears to require that all of its employees receive an annual flu shot. It fired Sakile Chenzira, a customer service representative, for refusing to comply. Chenzira sued,…
January 14, 2013
After I put my post up on this years influenza fiasco on Friday, the CDC declared it an official 'epidemic'. Since one of the main excuses for not getting the shot this year are “It’s a hassle.”/“Number one, I’m lazy” (UUUUUUUGH THAT WAS ME TOO! GET THE SHOT!! The flu SUCKED!!!!), I thought it…
January 11, 2013
My boss and I are very busy people. Weve got big stuff going on. BIG STUFF. So we didnt have time to get the free flu shots the university offered like 500 times last fall.
About three weeks ago--
Bossman: Meh, Im feeling kinda sniffly. Im gonna go get pho for lunch.
Me: Cool! Im going to stay…
January 9, 2013
Whoda thought that injecting viruses into peoples hearts would be not only fun, but good for their health! I just wrote about this little guy that can turn regular heart muscle cells into pacemaker cells (in guinea pigs), and here is another cool study hot off the presses:
Long-Term Follow-up…
January 7, 2013
Everyone has been wanting to know about this news item:
Scientists say vaccine temporarily brakes HIV
Therapeutic HIV Vaccine Shows Promise
Huge Breakthrough In HIV Research Brings Us Closer To A Vaccine
This is the actual paper:
A Dendritic Cell–Based Vaccine Elicits T Cell Responses Associated…
January 3, 2013
If you havent heard, Richard Dawkins is cruising around Antarctica right now-- Theyve upgraded internet abilities since I went, so he has been able to upload some Tweets and some photographs to flicker:
I want to go back so goddamn badly, seeing these pics makes me sad. Its like seeing an ex…
January 2, 2013
When youre trying to cure a genetic disease with a genetically modified virus, you dont have to get a perfect score.
You dont have to cure everyone in the trial.
You dont even really have to cure them-- Just make their lives a little easier, making it so that they can skip a few invasive procedures…
December 18, 2012
Thanks to this, we now have this:
Five female health workers vaccinating children against polio have been shot dead in Pakistan in a series of attacks blamed on Islamist militants. One victim was a 17-year-old schoolgirl volunteer.
...
... Pakistan, where there has been a severe backlash against…
December 17, 2012
Im seriously, you guys.
ANY MEDICAL CONDITION YOU CAN THINK OF: There is a scientist, somewhere, trying to use viruses to treat/cure that condition.
The latest:
Direct conversion of quiescent cardiomyocytes to pacemaker cells by expression of Tbx18
Lots of people, either through age or genetic…
December 16, 2012
We were all so excited for this opportunity, but it wasnt supposed to be like this.
It wasnt supposed to be a piece on atheists, sandwiched between images of people mourning over slaughtered children and school officials.
But thats what it is.
And its fine-- CBS didnt do a hack piece on us or…
December 13, 2012
Record yourself playing with your puppies for 30-60 seconds and upload the vid to the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab website!
Dog-dog play has been, relatively, well studied. The signs/signals/noises pups play, the repercussions for not playing by the rules, the benefits of play to an adult pup, its a…
December 12, 2012
Uh oh. VIRAL NOMENCLATURE WAR!!!
CERV vs CERV!!!
Chimpanzee vs Crocodile!!!
Its gonna be a THROWDOWN!!!
... Or we can just read a neat open-access article about ERVs in crocodiles :)
Strong purifying selection in endogenous retroviruses in the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in the…
December 11, 2012
A lot of folks have been forwarding me this story from the New York Times--
In Girl’s Last Hope, Altered Immune Cells Beat Leukemia
It is a FANTASTIC story about a little girl who had been sick from leukemia for two years, wasnt responding to conventional therapies, and her parents chose to try…
December 8, 2012
I love Oklahoma-- Great school, great cost of living, genuinely nice folks, and believe it or not, a fantastic atheist/skeptic scene.
You all know about FreeOK (one and my talk isnt up yet from two... SEEEETH!), organized by Atheist Community of Tulsa and the OKC Atheists. Those groups are amazing…
December 5, 2012
We all are familiar with the headlines:
"SCIENTISTS SAY BROCCOLI CURES CANCER????"
We all also know that pop-science articles are, functionally, useless. Sometimes its editors manipulating article titles to make them more 'catchy', sometimes journalists trying to stir up controversy, sometimes its…
December 3, 2012
*sigh* Two years ago, this time, I was packing my bags for Antarctica. *sigh*
As much as I would like to go back, I could never afford it... so I need to figure out how to get on one of these research teams working in Antarctica.
See, abiogenesis, life on other planets-- that is not just a thought…
November 30, 2012
Lets say you are a professional/expert on Topic X.
One day, you get a call from an Emmy winning, top day-time talk show. They want you to come on their show to talk about Topic X! "OMG!!! YAAAAAY!!!" you would surely be thinking. "A platform to educate the public about Topic X! Millions of people…
November 28, 2012
Whos next, David Bowie??
Dan Savage will be THIS THURSDAY, November 29 at 7 pm:
The event will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom, according to the event’s Facebook page. Free food will be provided at 6:30 p.m. before Savage’s keynote at 7 p.m. A…
November 26, 2012
Scientists all around the world are creating legions of genetically modified viruses to treat/cure human afflictions, from nicotine addiction to hemophilia (A and B).
One disease a lot of folks are focused on in brain cancer. Certainly not a monolithic entity-- but scientists are working on…
November 21, 2012
Ask anyone who has stood up to quacks/charlatans/nutbars-- Crazy people be CRAZY.
Someone tries to educate the public, move their field, shine a candle in a demon haunted world, stand up for what they think is right, and they are rewarded with insane emails (check!), often including threats of…
November 19, 2012
After all this blog has been through-- Exposing Creationist plagiarism and idiocy, laughing in the faces of anti-vaxers/HIV denialists/GMO alarmists/other anti-science quacks, effectively eradicating a 'retrovirus'-- This might be one of the most controversial posts on ERV, ever.
I got a Nexus 4…
November 16, 2012
We now have the complete pig (aka Sus scrofa) genome! You know what that means..........!!!
PERVs!!!!
Analyses of pig genomes provide insight into porcine demography and evolution
While I am a huge fan of all ERVs, including PERVs, PERVs hold a special place in my heart.
Literally.
Physicians can…