X-Message-Number: 8319 Date: Sun, 15 Jun 1997 11:04:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Charles Platt <> Subject: Virodene Many thanks to Randy Smith for reminding me to go check the South African Mail and Guardian home page. It took the journalists a while, but they finally made the Alcor connection: Virodene link to 'deep freeze' June 13, 1997 _________________________________________________________________ THERE is a local link to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation - researcher Olga Visser, who recently announced she had a treatment for Aids, has received funding from the organisation for her work in the field of cryonics. Visser and other researchers based at the University of Pretoria last year demonstrated their research at Alcor, getting a "frozen" rat's heart to beat again. Earlier this year, Visser was part of a team that announced they had found a compound that could slow the progress of Aids and kill the virus that causes it, HIV. They named the compound Virodene, and began testing it in trials on human patients. Visser said in interviews she had discovered Virodene by accident while doing laboratory research. The active ingredient of Virodene turned out to be a compound called DMF, often used in the field of organ preservation and highly toxic. The Virodene trials were accordingly called off - but Visser has not given up. She is presently trying to persuade the Portuguese authorities to allow her to conduct trials is campaigning for Virodene in that country. _________________________________________________________________ So, it seems Portugal will be the next lucky location for tests of "Virodene" on AIDS sufferers. Meanwhile, this earlier piece--which I missed previously--explains how the drug was administered: What's the active ingredient, Jan 31, 1997 _________________________________________________________________ Lesley Cowling THE scientific community in South Africa and internationally are speculating that the active ingredient of Virodene is an industrial solvent called dimethylformamide (DMF). DMF is used in laboratories to "denature" DNA, a process that releases it from its double strand shape. ... One expert said that if the Virodene patches that were given to Aids patients in a drug trial contained DMF, that would account for the burning sensation patients reported. Also, the molecules of DMF were fairly small, which squares with Visser's explanation that Virodene worked because the molecules were small enough to penetrate the walls of cells infected with HIV. Another medical expert said DMF in the body would be able to enter cells and destroy the virus. However, since it causes damage to DNA, it is likely to cause damage to human DNA as well as the DNA of HIV. -------------------------------- ...which is what Steve Harris said, 6 months ago. I hope this is now clear. Regardless of what we think of government agencies, bureaucracy, and drug approval processes, it is clearly irresponsible to administer DMF in this manner to a HEALTHY person, still less an AIDS patient. --CP Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8319