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Pulling the thread Cullen-->Bloom-->Editas Medical


StayingUpbeat

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Dr. Cullen recently updated his FAQ.  The content hasn't much changed but if you follow the bouncing ball the first clinical trial for genome editing to treat HSV may not be nearly as far as it would seem.  Near the end of Brian Cullen's FAQ about the use of genome editing to eliminate the viral reservoir of HSV he has this statement:

we are in the process of establishing a collaboration with a biotech company that focuses on the use of Cas9-derived DNA editing enzymes in the treatment of human disease. I have visited their headquarters and they have stated that they are enthusiastic about working with us on the goal of using Cas9 to cure HSV-1 and, especially, HSV-2. http://sites.duke.edu/cullenlaboratory/current-research/herpes-research/update-on-hsv-research/

Dr Cullen and Dr. Bloom have been working hand-in-hand on this for a number of years in the last paragraph of Dr. Bloom's bio on the UFL web site is this statement:

A final area of focus of my lab is aimed at developing novel therapeutic approaches to block the ability of HSV to reactivate. Our approaches include anti-HSV ribozymes (collaborations with Drs. Al Lewin, Sonal Tuli, Greg Schultz and Donna Neumann), TALENs (collaboration with Dr. Bryan Cullen) and CRISPR-Cas9 (Collaboration with Dr. Bryan Cullen and Editas Medicine). http://mgm.ufl.edu/faculty/faculty-home-pages/david-c-bloom-p-h-d/

Finally, there are two major announcements with regard to Editas that seem relevant.

  1. Editas Medicine receives $225,000 NIH grant for in-vivo proof-of-concept on Vector-delivered CRISPR/Cas as a cure for HSV-1-induced keratitis.
  2. Editas Medicine Raises $120 Million to Advance Genome Editing

Obviously HSV Keratitis appears to be the first target and a commercial treatment is a decade+ away. Editas medical, however, is definitely a company to start keeping on the radar.  It looks to me like things are finally moving on the genome editing front that could have major importance down the road. 

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Edited by StayingUpbeat
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@Stayingupbeat--this is fabulous work making all the connections between Bloom, Cullen, and Editas.  Good job.  I think this technology also has the potential for a "cure."  I believe their approach and Dr. Riders are the two best projects out there right now with the potential for a real cure.  The difference is Bloom and Cullen are now working with a pharma and have current NIH grants vs. Rider has entered the valley of death.  I hope that Rider can get the funds he needs from the Indiegogo campaign so he can progress.

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Dr. Cullen recently updated his FAQ.  The content hasn't much changed but if you follow the bouncing ball the first clinical trial for genome editing to treat HSV may not be nearly as far as it would seem.  Near the end of Brian Cullen's FAQ about the use of genome editing to eliminate the viral reservoir of HSV he has this statement:

Dr Cullen and Dr. Bloom have been working hand-in-hand on this for a number of years in the last paragraph of Dr. Bloom's bio on the UFL web site is this statement:

Finally, there are two major announcements with regard to Editas that seem relevant.

  1. Editas Medicine receives $225,000 NIH grant for in-vivo proof-of-concept on Vector-delivered CRISPR/Cas as a cure for HSV-1-induced keratitis.
  2. Editas Medicine Raises $120 Million to Advance Genome Editing

Obviously HSV Keratitis appears to be the first target and a commercial treatment is a decade+ away. Editas medical, however, is definitely a company to start keeping on the radar.  It looks to me like things are finally moving on the genome editing front that could have major importance down the road. 

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VERY impressive list of financial backers, investors, and companies involved from both the inception of Editas, and now participating in this round of financing. Definitely a company to follow for the future - not just for Herpes research but for multiple potential groundbreaking treatments of disease, viruses and illness, maybe even aging and death (Google was an early backer, so think Calico) as you don't attract this type of funding and big names, unless you have an approach that is unique and/or your technology is promising and disruptive.  That there is funding for HSV research using this technology is exciting. 

Thanks for the link.  

 

Edited by herpes-sucks
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In the 120 million is funding from a Gates VC. Many of you are always taking about contacting the Gates Foundation. If the Bloom, Cullen, and Editas partnership works--you can then say Gates helped support a herpes cure.

Gene editing with the CRISPR technique is the future.

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Is anyone else sick of all these vaccines? I know Halfords vaccine will work but that's only any good for people who aren't infected... Sure it may give us less symptoms but unless we are cured it's not enough to live a happy life as far as I'm concerned. We really need this cure by Bryan Cullen to work. What are your views staying upbeat about it? Will it work and when? You seem pretty clued up on it all. I don't feel I can ever be happy again untill I get rid of this virus 

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Is anyone else sick of all these vaccines? I know Halfords vaccine will work but that's only any good for people who aren't infected... Sure it may give us less symptoms but unless we are cured it's not enough to live a happy life as far as I'm concerned. We really need this cure by Bryan Cullen to work. What are your views staying upbeat about it? Will it work and when? You seem pretty clued up on it all. I don't feel I can ever be happy again untill I get rid of this virus 

StayingUpbeat will be better at describing what I'm going to try to describe, but here's my interpretation of it from a layman point of view.  We all have different strains of herpes inside us, even those who don't have HSV.  Chickenpox, for example, is from the herpes family.  Many of us have had it, and it remains in our bodies even though we don't "have" it any longer.  What's different is our immune system can effectively fight it, but it's still in our bodies. Shingles is caused by chickenpox, which is essentially the adult version that causes painful blisters.  I'm not entirely sure how Shingles comes to be, but I think it's a reactivation of the chickenpox virus with some differences.

Anyway, my point is this.  A vaccine that eliminates shedding and outbreaks cannot be defined as a cure (as the virus isn't eliminated) but it is the next best thing, as it would prevent the virus from affecting the body.  The trick is finding a vaccine that can do this 100% of the time.  A vaccine, to me, is ideal.  Who wants to take a pill which likely has side effects when a few injections can train the immune system to fight the virus so it's not even noticeable.

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I think we would all prefer a cure but that is not a reality for at least a decade or two away. So the next best thing to do is manage the symptoms i.e. outbreaks, shedding. I would be happy not being able to transmit this virus and many others would as well. That would be awesome, especially for this pesky virus. Imo, the techonology is there, we just have to play the waiting game!

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The best vaccine is Bill Halfords and that might stop you having some out breaks but it won't stop it completely... Either way you'll have to get a booster yearly. The problem is you try telling someone you have herpes but I've had a vaccine so you shouldn't catch it. People just arnt going to have that, wear a cure there's nothing to tell. It's still beyond me how it can be that hard to make a cure in this dayenage 

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The best vaccine is Bill Halfords and that might stop you having some out breaks but it won't stop it completely... Either way you'll have to get a booster yearly. The problem is you try telling someone you have herpes but I've had a vaccine so you shouldn't catch it. People just arnt going to have that, wear a cure there's nothing to tell. It's still beyond me how it can be that hard to make a cure in this dayenage 

Do you have any data/results that you can post from a P1, P2, or P3 trial - that would back up your claim that Bill Halford's treatment is in fact the best vaccine ?  I think not only me, but the board, and even the medical community would love to see this.  Also, can you source your statements on stopping breakouts and needing a yearly booster. Thanks !

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@herpes-sucks: Straight from the competition: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076407

Vical's own publication shows clearly that a live attenuated vaccine positive control kicks the butt of their own DNA (protein subunit) vaccine:

"The positive control live attenuated HSV-2 vaccine provided superior vaginal load protection at both inoculum levels."

This has always been the case for every single live attenuated vs protein subunit comparison ever (not just herpes). We understand why (antigenic breadth, http://ocean.sci-hub.bz/1058bad2d7ee47e806f48ad1d92d39cb/halford2014.pdf?download=true), and there's very little that Dr. Halford or Dr. Frazer could be doing wrong or right to change these fundamentals of immunology.

Edited by vzhe
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Not sure what bringing in Vical's failed P2 trial results has to do with you stating that Halford has the best vaccine.  That being said, I asked you to produce any data/results that you can post from a P1, P2, or P3 trial - that would back up your claim that Bill Halford's treatment is in fact the best vaccine.

 

 

Vical ($VICL) delivered another piece of damaging news on Monday that sent the company's shares into penny stock territory.

The company announced that two herpes vaccine formulations--a monovalent and a bivalent--failed to meet their primary endpoint of significantly reducing HSV shedding in a Phase I/II trial and didn't perform as well as placebo. The San Diego-based biotech's shares fell 45% on the news on Tuesday. In a statement, CEO Vijay Samant said the company is "disappointed,"

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There are no trials yet. You're picking on the little guys for being little. There's nothing to indicate at all that a live attenuated vaccine wouldn't work. A result like that would actually be worthy of publication in top journals, because it would be so revolutionary. Live vaccines do work.

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@herpes-sucks: Straight from the competition: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076407

Vical's own publication shows clearly that a live attenuated vaccine positive control kicks the butt of their own DNA (protein subunit) vaccine:

"The positive control live attenuated HSV-2 vaccine provided superior vaginal load protection at both inoculum levels."

This has always been the case for every single live attenuated vs protein subunit comparison ever (not just herpes). We understand why (antigenic breadth, http://ocean.sci-hub.bz/1058bad2d7ee47e806f48ad1d92d39cb/halford2014.pdf?download=true), and there's very little that Dr. Halford or Dr. Frazer could be doing wrong or right to change these fundamentals of immunology.

That is actually Admedus or Corridons vaccine, which is produced by Dr. Frazier. But Vicals was somewhat similar to Admedus. And I've read publishing on that paper and it does state, that a live vaccine does produce superior results.

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That is actually Admedus or Corridons vaccine, which is produced by Dr. Frazier. But Vicals was somewhat similar to Admedus. And I've read publishing on that paper and it does state, that a live vaccine does produce superior results.

 

Again, Vical failed in their P2 trial... but I'm still not sure how with no trial data to review or analyze, how anyone can say with conviction that Halford's is the best. It's just so ludicrous.

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Again, Vical failed in their P2 trial... but I'm still not sure how with no trial data to review or analyze, how anyone can say with conviction that Halford's is the best. It's just so ludicrous.

Any live vaccine beats any protein subunit vaccine. There are no trials needed to state that with conviction if you understand basic immunology.

Edited by vzhe
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That is actually Admedus or Corridons vaccine, which is produced by Dr. Frazier. But Vicals was somewhat similar to Admedus. And I've read publishing on that paper and it does state, that a live vaccine does produce superior results.

 

Sorry about that. Ok, so this was from a different competitor. Point still remains. Everyone working in this field knows that live vaccines provide superior protection compared to protein subunit vaccines. That's why they use them as positive controls. That's not even remotely a controversial statement.

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The best vaccine is Bill Halfords and that might stop you having some out breaks but it won't stop it completely... Either way you'll have to get a booster yearly. The problem is you try telling someone you have herpes but I've had a vaccine so you shouldn't catch it. People just arnt going to have that, wear a cure there's nothing to tell. It's still beyond me how it can be that hard to make a cure in this dayenage 

Theoretically Halfords should be the best vaccine out there but I don't think you would need boosters that frequently. Suppose the vaccine decreases shedding 75-85% for a period of 3-5 years and then you add an antiviral or possibly the HPI from Japan (which should be in the US in a few years), then that should provide enough protection to stop transmission. On top of that if Halfords proves to be prophylactic then that should assist discordant couple tremendously and would probably be the best case scenario unless Cullen and Bloom knock it out the ball park in a decade or so!! Yes it sucks to have this, but we have to live with this and progress is slowly being made and that scenario would definitely be better than what is out now!

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Again, Vical failed in their P2 trial... but I'm still not sure how with no trial data to review or analyze, how anyone can say with conviction that Halford's is the best. It's just so ludicrous.

What are you not understanding? lol. No one is trying to manipulate you buddy. Facts are facts. Live viruses have been used in vaccines for at least 200 years. That Corridon Plos article, even says so itself. What is ludicrous about that?  That is an opinion by many people, scientist, immunologist, Dr. Frazier himself etc etc. Now are they popular by the FDA? No. But should they be tested further because current HSV treatment is a joke. IMO, this is a resounding, YES! But you are going to believe, what you are going to believe. No one is trying to change that.

 

Edited by dont quit!
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Right, yes bill Dosent have any results yet. He will soon tho. For a starter show me and vaccine that's not a live vaccine that has any kind of good results. There's none, all this 50% or what ever reduced shedding what use is that to anyone? 

http://www.aurx.com/index.htm

just look here for proof a live vaccine is the way forward. The only reason the fda won't get behind this is they are worried it may give you hsv2. Which in theory yes it will but as it can't reactivate it's not really a problem. But for us that has the virus should boost our immune systems enough to deal with it...

so if you look at bill Halfords work he has a similar vaccine be it slightly better and safer. How can any dna vaccine with a few % of the herpes virus ever boost a immune response and a live virus with nearly all the proteins in it? It's just not possible.

as above maybe we won't need yearly shots for boosters but I can't see it lasting more than 18 months untill it starts to wear off....

This all said it still doesn't help us really with this virus, the biggest issue I think we all have is passing it on, where none of these vaccines will elimante this only a true cure will. 

So maybe it's time to stop wasting our time and money on vaccines and put all that effort into a cure that will benefit all of us. 

 

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Do you know the most annoying thing, aurx had this vaccine years ago. If the fda had of steped in back then and backed them I would have had the vaccine and never had got this virus. The fda are more than happy to let millions of people each year get it tho 

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Wait, this thread is about David Bloom and Bryan Cullen's gene therapy approach to HSV.   Nothing about vaccines.

I understand people are very frustrated with their situations but the research will move along at its Earthen level pace, regardless.

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Wait, this thread is about David Bloom and Bryan Cullen's gene therapy approach to HSV.   Nothing about vaccines.

I understand people are very frustrated with their situations but the research will move along at its Earthen level pace, regardless.

I understand this sorry has gone a little off topic. What does everyone think about there work tho? Will it ever be the answer or just another failed trial?

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