Posted on 09/13/2002 2:57:13 PM PDT by Pontiac
NEW YORK - Scientists have successfully inserted a foreign gene into the DNA of mice that was later incorporated into growing hair shafts.
"This will allow us to search for genes that will give a cosmetic benefit as well as potential therapeutic benefits when inserted into the hair follicle," said the study's lead author Dr. Robert M. Hoffman of AntiCancer Inc., a San Diego, California-based biotechnology company.
While the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, which comes from jellyfish, has no medical significance, the main goal was to determine if the researchers could make transgenic mouse hair.
The mouse genome did indeed take up the GFP gene, researchers report in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Hoffman and his colleagues began by inserting GFP into an inactivated virus. Then they removed small bits of skin from mice and treated their skin with the enzyme collagenase.
The collagenase made the hair follicles in the skin accessible to the virus, which was used to "micro-inject" the DNA containing the GFP gene, Hoffman explained.
"This allowed the efficient transfer of the GFP gene to the hair follicles," he said. The treated fragments of skin were then transplanted onto other mice.
"The gene-modified hair follicles then produced modified hair shafts, which were easily detected by GFP fluorescence," Hoffman said.
Roughly 75% of the mice hair follicles contained the new gene, the report indicates.
With regard to cosmetic implications, Hoffman noted that patients undergoing hair transplants, where skin fragments could be treated in a similar fashion as in the mouse experiment, could use this technology.
This would require that the researchers discover genes that confer cosmetic benefits, he pointed out.
In addition, the hair follicle "could also be used as a 'factory' to produce therapeutic products as well," Hoffman said.
The therapeutic gene could be chosen depending on the disease one wishes to treat.
The hair follicle could express this gene and produce the therapeutic product, he noted.
"It must be emphasized that this early technology is now appropriate only in animal experiments and not for use in humans.
We will exploit this technology to discover useful cosmetic and therapeutic genes that can be transferred in this manner or perhaps modifying the technology to transfer the genes directly without removal of the skin," Hoffman told Reuters Health.
"It also must be emphasized that any type of gene transfer in humans will be very carefully scrutinized by the FDA before approval," he added.
"It is difficult to speculate when such technology would be applicable to human trials," Hoffman stated. "A guess would be in the order of 5 years."
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2002;10.1073/pnas.192453799.
But seriously could they put a gene to have hair follicle produce insulin and cure diabetes.
Dang! Balding men lose again. It really sucks to be white, overweight and balding. I'm SUPPOSED to be part of the power elite. Now they're going to cure diabetes using hair follicles, and by the time they figure it out, all my follicles will be dormant.
Seriously though, the ability to produce insulin from cells outside the pancrreas would be a true medical miracle.
Smart adrenal glands would be a nice bonus. Activate at will and amp through the night. Skin cells with kevlar or some ballistic resistance would be kewl too.
And how long till some REALLY enterprising criminal thinks of making raw endorphins, X or LSD via the same technology ? The possibilities are endless.
I've never understood this "gene therapy" stuff. Am I correct in guessing that they inject DNA into a few cells in an embryo?
IOW gene therapy doesn't do much - if anything = for an adult.
Let's say I want green hair. This proceedure doesn't give it to ME, it can only be introduced into growing organisms. AM I correct?
And if I am incorrect, then how in heck does the introduced DNA get into ever cell in the body?
I do realized cells die and are replaced, but I just can't grasp how gene threapy works.
prisoner6
No.
Regardless of the benefits of morning crew calisthenics viewing, this can't be right in any way, shape or form. Just MHO.
Gene therapy in adults is at least theoretically possible. I do know of it having been tried experimentally on a preadolescent with cancer (unsuccessfully, the child died).
The method that I have read about is the same as in this article which uses a non-viable virus which injects the desired DNA in to the target cells. The DNA then attaches itself to the host DNA. And if successful the new DNA becomes active curing the decease.
And if I am incorrect, then how in heck does the introduced DNA get into ever cell in the body?
A virus is basically DNA surrounded in a protean capsule. The protean Capsule has a surface structure on it that allows it to attach to a structure on the surface of a cell of the host organism.
When the virus is attached to the host cell it is absorbed in to the cell. Once in the cell the protean in the virus is released and finds the host cell DNA and inserts itself in to the host DNA (or some viruses RNA).
Once the virus DNA is in the host DNA it takes over the host cell and makes it manufacture new virus particles. This is why the gene therapy must use deactivated virus.
I have heard that diabetes may be caused by a infection that causes the body to attack the islets of langerhans. But once the islets are destroyed how can curing the infection cure diabetes.
Of course for thing slike hair I would guess that it would take wuite a long time for the hair to show results of DNA manipulation.
Well, at least in mine. Wha't sleft grows REAL SLOW! LOL!
Thanks again, you did clear up the issue for me.
prisoner6
BTW this posted to another thread fopr some reason. Gonna confuse things a bit, LOL!
Actually the scientist would choose a virus that would target a particular type of cell. Such as the cold virus to cure a sinus allergy. (I really have no idea if this would work but I think it gets the idea across)
So does cloning in some particular instances I suppose. But, there's a line to be drawn somewhere (hopefully) and perhaps growing "flourescent green hair" from jellyfish DNA is over whatever "the line" "is" IMHO. Not that MHO means anything.
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