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RE: Better Understanding The Workings Of Hepatitis B With A Transgenic Virus
Couldn't we change our genetic code to "delete" Hepatitis B from it? i am totally out of medical studies so i have zero understanding thats why i am asking.
Define "Change our genetic code" the virus integrates itself into our genome yeah. You could maybe use CRISPR to edit out some important genes from HepB, but even that would be exceedingly difficult. The virus is both in the genome and also existing on its own in its packaged form. It infects a lot of cells, and you would need to remove it from all of them, or it could just re-infect again. Delivery of CRISPR to cells is still difficult, and I am not sold on it being used in a drug like capacity as of yet. Maybe in the future?
This really is an amazing field of study. Heard about CRISPR for the first time only a few days ago. On the new Netflix show "Bill Nye Saves the World" . We are far off from being able to go into a clinic someplace and ask for a DNA upgrade or mod, and have it be delivered up on demand. Though the sciences and research behind all this are growing exponentially every year. Certainly something to keep following! Great post!
CRISPR has a number of hurdles and challenges yes, however there have been some preliminary experiments that are promising. The editing of an embryo seems a more realistic possibility (for removing a genetic disease) then does adult genome editing. We will have to see where the research goes.
Ok i get it. So engineering our own cells changing the genome could solve it at some point in the future but we are just not there yet. cool thanks
Yep, so in the mean time we must keep pushing forward from every direction we can. The people suffering from these diseases don't have decades to wait.