Gidday Glitt.,
I remember reading the MIT paper news story when it was first highlighted here some years ago and thinking too that there are some missing credits. But of course, there is a difference between the news stories and the actual MIT paper, which certainly does credit Biotron at references 2 (2004); and 28 (2006). This of course is guaranteed when you consider MIT's paper's title,
Structure and drug binding of the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein transmembrane domain in lipid bilayers,' when Biotrons first paper on the topic in 2004 stated, '
We report that, in planar lipid bilayers, synthetic peptides corresponding to the SARS-CoV E protein forms ion channels.' If you read anything on E these days, especially to do with disease, it is unikely that Biotron is not referenced. In fact I suggest that most readers here are unfamiliar with the extend to which Biotron has laid the foundation of much of this work, and if you want to look more closely at the roots of this foundation, read Peter Gage's life story from the Australian Academy of Science
https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs/peter-william-gage-1937%E2%80%932005#5, and here is a snippet of his early work that is basic to the later technology platform of Biotron from 1976:
https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs/peter-william-gage-1937%E2%80%932005#5.
Where to go with this post? Let's stick to the topic of Biotron's journey within a coronavirus context. Take this little excerpt for example and consider where it comes from:
All known coronaviruses encode an E protein with a hydrophobic N-terminus transmembrane domain therefore all coronaviruses E proteins could form ion channels on planar lipid bilayers. This indicates that the E protein could be a suitable target for antiviral drugs and potentially stop the spread of coronavirus from infected host cells. Drugs that block the E protein ion channel could be effective antiviral therapy for the treatment of several significant human and veterinary coronavirus diseases including SARS and the common cold.
This was published on December 26th, 2019. I recall the date well when I saw it about a month later because Boxing Day is the wedding anniversary of Batman and Batwoman, mum and date, to put a finer point on it. But it wasn't this anniversary date that struck me, but rather, it was just several days before Dr. Li informed his colleaugues, which lead to the world knowing within hours, of the new virus that was knocking the good folk of Wuhan off their feet and sending them into his local hospital. How uncanny was this date of patening
ANTIVIRAL COMPOUNDS AND METHODS. It certainly had my attention. Read Example 21 from the patent. It was this paptent that lead to the writing if the first post on this thread.
Take a look at this random paper. It is practically dedicated to BIT225, but no connection as far as I know. Dated to 2012. It is out of Melbourne, so at least its authors have the home grouund advantage:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359644612001602. Note at end of the paper that it has been cited 8 times since, 5 of which have been since 2020.
Another paper entirely dedicated to BIT225/HIV by other researchers is here:
The HIV-1 Vpu Viroporin Inhibitor BIT225 Does Not Affect Vpu-Mediated Tetherin Antagonism Like mentioned with Ms Mendoza's paper this week, Viroporin inhibitors seem to be shaping up as the key to controlling C19. I could fill this post with dozens of papers suggesting so, and the associated research papers around E in the last few years would take several posts to do justice. The point is, the scientific workd seems to be closing in on what Biotron started. Like last night's movie, The Big Short, there is a big bubble, and no one knows, Then one guy saw it and placed his shorts. Finally the truth came out.
Are you familiar with this prase from Isaac Newton, '“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” He was referring of course to the previous work of others that he was fortunate to have benefited from. This is the blueprint of the scientific endeavour. Here is a little example to broaden our generally closed imaginations. One of the more insightful examples of scientific collaborations in light of Newton's remarks is that of Thomas Aquinas, the great 13th Century theologian and philospher, who cited Aristotle a squillion times (44 times solely in Aquinas' questions on Natural Law) all favourably, yet Aristotle lived a thousand years beforehand, was pre-Christian, whereas Aquinas built a Christian philosphical system. Regardless of where your prejudices lay, this is an astounding scientific partnership.
Where were we? Oh yes, the world is catching up to Biotron's history and it is Saturday afternoon and the mangoes are ripening.
One last refection on the newish MIT paper is that they begin their enquiry with the drug, hexamethylene amiloride (HMA), of which Biotron utilized extensively in early research. So yes, their paper was quite nostalgic. I recall that J8, a long standing and credible poster here who has helped keep everyone on the straight and narrow on these pages, self included, maybe more familiar with this earlier drug connection etc.
But is is all this research zooming in on E that is one indicator of our looming success. It reminds me of another importnat time in history when Darwin was very slowly and meticuoulsy working through his theseis on evolution when suddenly a paper arrives form the Far East by a Mr. Alfred Russel Wallace, who had come up with the same theory form his many years of similiar observations as Darwin, and informed Darwin of his project. This of course greatly inspired Darwin to go to print, and about a year later in 1859 the Origins of Species was published.
In the same way it is inevitable that Biotron's work will come to fruition sooner than later. Conisidering that its release is imminent, unless there is the most remarkable Wallace moment, Biotron's long Darwinian journey is about to take the world by storm.
Well, that's one way to bring an essay to an abrupt end. Alternatively, we could discuss better the science, most notably how BIT225 has clearly demonstrated statistically powerful data for reducing most of the key cytokines responsible for lung inflammation, at least in mice, including achieving above expectations of all its other clinical end points, most likely also in the human trials outstanding. Hopefully I'll get on to more of this in due course.
Not long now.
(20min delay)
