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InternationalCut2610 t1_j0izjxy wrote

Reply to comment by UncannyTarotSpread in Aromatherapy spray that killed two people in a multistate outbreak also killed pet raccoon by AudibleNod

We need to supplement our reliance on antibiotics with phage therapy. It's worked for decades in Russia and if we collaborated with them or at least funded more projects to build on existing research it could be a powerful tool to fight multidrug resistant bacteria.

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CatProgrammer t1_j0jftuw wrote

I don't think collaborating with Russia is high priority at the moment.

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InternationalCut2610 t1_j0jxvpm wrote

I guess I wasn't clear, collaborating academically, not politically or militarily.

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CatProgrammer t1_j0k0i20 wrote

I know, but given the current political situation and sanctions I'm not sure even an academic collaboration is on the table for most Western-aligned nations right now.

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InternationalCut2610 t1_j0k5k6j wrote

I understand that but this is just a continuation of politics stifling research. Now we have the internet and can share ideas more to a certain extent. I'm not saying we can discount the political climate entirely but it's extremely damaging to discount a technology because it was developed by an ideological(or existential) enemy. Nazi technology did take us to the moon after all, as despicable as their research practices were.

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Swineservant t1_j0jyg3m wrote

Is anything Russia says not a lie these days? Could Russian science ever be trusted?

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InternationalCut2610 t1_j0k7aiz wrote

I mean, science can be tested that's what makes it science. You don't need to source any materials from Russia to make isolate phages and create a therapy.

You just collect the bacteria you're targeting - which will in general have bacteriophages that have evolved to infect that bacteria - and isolate them.

Then culture a pure sample of the bacteria, add samples of the phages to petri dishes and look for plaques where it's killed the bacteria.

That's a very basic explanation and you need to do more testing to make sure it's safe to be used as a human therapy vs in vitro but, the science as far as the theory goes isn't fake and can be verified.

You can do it in your basement if you want, to target specific strains of bacteria that cause you acne for example. I wouldn't recommend that unless you're interested in learning about the mechanisms behind it and investing in equipment to create a safe and sterile environment.

That said - yes you can trust science from anywhere because the whole point of science is it's empirically verifiable.

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