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To: prisoner6
IOW gene therapy doesn't do much - if anything = for an adult.

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.

13 posted on 09/13/2002 5:07:51 PM PDT by Pontiac
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To: Pontiac
Thank You! I guess what I was missing was the >deactivated virus< I was not aware that a virus could attack virtually every cell in your body. Like I said I know NOTHING about this, I'm more mecahnical in schooling and practice.

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!

16 posted on 09/13/2002 5:27:24 PM PDT by prisoner6
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