Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 64621 / 251,287

Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen Thailand

Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06 2011/07 2011/08

Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 06TAIPEI2249, SARS BREAKTHROUGH--LUNG STEM CELLS KEY TO FINDING

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06TAIPEI2249.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06TAIPEI2249 2006-06-30 01:01 2011-08-23 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED American Institute Taiwan, Taipei 
VZCZCXRO5409
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHIN #2249 1810101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300101Z JUN 06 ZDK
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0944
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5363
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7906
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 7796
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9402
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6571
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0220
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0945
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
 
UNCLAS TAIPEI 002249 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/IHA; HHS FOR ERIKA ELVANDER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED TBIO TW
SUBJECT: SARS BREAKTHROUGH--LUNG STEM CELLS KEY TO FINDING 
CURE 
 
REF: 05 TAIPEI 02575 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:  Taiwan medical researchers have demonstrated 
the existence of lung stem cells and identified them as a 
critical target for infection by the SARS virus.  This 
research may result in a vaccine being developed to counter 
SARS.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) John Yu is a US citizen resarcher currently affiliated 
with the Genomics Research Center and the Institute of 
Cellular and Organism Biology of Academia Sinica (Taiwan's 
premier scientific research institute) told AIT that during 
the SARS outbreak of 2003 he observed that patients infected 
with SARS went into a peak infection period 10 days after 
contracting the disease, yet it took 3 weeks from initial 
contact before the lethal virus caused lung failure. 
According to Yu, the lag time is precisely the time needed 
for lung stem cells to grow new cells.  SARS attacked the 
embryonic stem cells at this juncture and prevented the 
generation of new stem cells thereby dealing a knockout blow 
to some patient's ability to recover. 
 
3. (U) Yu told AIT that before this discovery, lung failure 
was usually treated with anti-cancer medication.  This 
treatment only addressed the symptoms but did not cure the 
underlying problem.  His findings have been published in the 
authoritative Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 
in Washington DC.  Yu said that the next stage after the lung 
stem cell discovery is to try to grow enough of the stem 
cells so that a vaccine can be developed to counter SARS. 
 
KEEGAN