The US military ’ s Defense Advance Research Projects Agency ( Darpa ) says they may have a method to stop all infectious diseases - including Ebola . By encoding RNA and DNA in a specific way , Darpa say a person could simply go into a shop and get an injection to protect them against a disease . This could be used to prevent mass outbreaks in affected areas . US military 's Darpa has developed a method to stop infectious diseases . It involves encoding RNA and DNA with instructions for antibodies . A person could then be injected with the antibodies at a pharmacy ( stock image shown ) . This enables a person 's cells to fight an infectious disease . ‘ We ’ re going to take the genetic code and put it into a format where you go to your drug store or doctor and get a shot in the arm , ’ said Darpa programme manager Dan Wattendorf at an event in San Francisco , reported Fusion . RNA stands for ribonucleic acid . It is one of three important molecules that are essential for all known forms of life - as well as proteins and lipids . RNA is formed from strings of nucleic acids , the same building blocks that create DNA . Genetic information in a cell flows from DNA through RNA to proteins . DNA is considered the 'blueprint ' of the cell and RNA is what helps translate it . Some life , like viruses , only use RNA and it is thought that some of the earliest organisms on Earth used this molecule . Proteins are considered to be the workhorses of the cell built up from strings of amino acids . These carry out the biochemical reactions that take place in the cell and make life tick . Lipids are fatty molecules that line up in formation that can create protective vesicles . They form the membrane 'walls ' of every living cell and give them structure . They are also essential for sending signals out of the cell . ‘ There ’ s a low-cost of goods , no cold chain , and we would produce the correct antibody in [ any ] individual directly. ’ The method works by creating powerful antibodies from survivors of an infectious disease . ‘ Instructions ’ on how to make these antibodies are then encoded into RNA and DNA , which are injected into people who might come into contact with the disease . Their cells then start creating the antibodies , protecting them from catching the potentially dangerous disease . Darpa is currently funding the project through Emory University in Atlanta . Experts say the method , if proven to be safe and effective , would be faster and cheaper than conventional drug production and could potentially be used to treat illnesses such as seasonal flu or malaria . Antibodies are typically grown in large vats of mammal cells or in some cases , tobacco plants , such as US pharmaceutical company Mapp Biopharmaceutical 's experimental Ebola treatment ZMapp . Experts say the method , if proven to be safe and effective , would be faster and cheaper than conventional drug production and could potentially be used to treat illnesses such as seasonal flu , malaria and Ebola . Shown is a transmission electron micrograph ( Tem ) image of the Ebola virus . Infectious diseases , such as Ebola and West Nile virus , will rapidly spread to new areas as a result of global warming . This is according to zoologist , Professor Daniel Brooks , who warned last month that humans can expect to face new illnesses as climate change brings crops , livestock , and humans into contact with pathogens . Professor Brooks says it will be 'the death of a thousand cuts ' with society unable to keep up with the speed of disease as it spreads around the world . 'It 's not that there 's going to be one `` Andromeda Strain '' that will wipe everybody out on the planet , ' Professor Brooks said , referring to the 1971 science fiction film about a deadly pathogen . 'There are going to be a lot of localised outbreaks that put a lot of pressure on our medical and veterinary health systems . ' Darpa has awarded Emory up to £7.3 million ( $ 10.8 million ) over three years to direct the project . Emory is using blood samples from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to test the method . Initially , the technology was being developed in hopes of protecting soldiers from seasonal flu or germs that cause diarrhea on the battlefield , but the Ebola outbreak presented an opportunity to accelerate the research . To succeed , researchers will need to identify an effective delivery system to carry the genetic instructions into the body and learn how to quickly identify the most protective antibodies . The goal is to get the process down to 90 days for most diseases . The group is in the process of characterising several Ebola antibody candidates to find which are the most potent . At that point , the researchers and Darpa will seek out drug company partners . Testing in people could begin within two years , with the goal of having a better weapon for the next outbreak - whatever it may be .
US military 's Darpa has developed a method to stop infectious diseases . It involves encoding RNA and DNA with instructions for antibodies . A person could then be injected with the antibodies at a pharmacy . The antibody would bind to any virus that is present in their body, including HIV / AIDS. It could be used to prevent mass outbreaks , such as Ebola . Testing in people is expected to begin in two years .