Gene Therapy Vector Delivery Systems
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary goal of gene therapy?

  • To eliminate all genetic disorders
  • To cure only blood disorders
  • To prevent future generations from inheriting genetic diseases
  • To replace, manipulate, or supplement nonfunctional or malfunctioning genes with healthy genes (correct)
  • What is a major drawback of gene therapy?

  • It is a very new field of research
  • It is a complex procedure
  • It is extremely expensive (correct)
  • It has no cure rate
  • What type of gene therapy aims to prevent genetic diseases from affecting future generations?

  • Gene manipulation
  • Germline gene therapy (correct)
  • Gene editing
  • Somatic gene therapy
  • What is a benefit of gene therapy?

    <p>It provides treatments for previously incurable diseases</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of genes?

    <p>To encode instructions for making proteins</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of gene therapy focuses on treating an individual's existing condition?

    <p>Somatic gene therapy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential application of gene therapy?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the expected outcome of gene therapy in the future?

    <p>It will become more affordable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main objective of Somatic Gene Therapy?

    <p>To introduce a functional ADA gene into the patient's immune cells</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the goal of Germline Gene Therapy?

    <p>To edit faulty genes in embryos to prevent genetic disorders</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern with Germline Gene Therapy?

    <p>High ethical concerns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of Somatic Gene Therapy?

    <p>Effects are short-lived and limited to the individual</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the advantage of Somatic Gene Therapy?

    <p>It has less ethical concerns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a genetic disorder that can be prevented using Germline Gene Therapy?

    <p>Cystic fibrosis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of Gene Augmentation therapy?

    <p>To introduce a new protein coding gene into somatic cells</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of Gene Augmentation therapy?

    <p>It is a straightforward strategy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of Adeno-Associated Viruses (AAVs)?

    <p>They can integrate their genetic material into a specific location on a chromosome.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main limitation of using electroporation for gene transfer?

    <p>It can cause high rates of cell death.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of using a mutant HSV-1 strain for gene transfer?

    <p>To reduce the risk of lytic cycle of viral replication.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the mechanism of gene gun for DNA transfer?

    <p>It uses gold particles coated with DNA to enter cells.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are adenoviruses used in gene therapy?

    <p>They are used as auxiliary viruses for AAVs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the advantage of using Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV) for gene transfer?

    <p>They have a reduced risk of insertional mutagenesis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of electroporation in gene transfer?

    <p>To form temporary pores in the cell membrane.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of tissue tropism?

    <p>It is the ability of a virus to infect a specific cell type.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary disadvantage of using retroviruses as gene therapy vectors?

    <p>They can cause insertional mutagenesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key difference between in-vivo and ex-vivo gene therapy?

    <p>In-vivo involves direct vector introduction, while ex-vivo involves indirect vector introduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of adenoviruses that makes them useful for gene therapy?

    <p>They can introduce their genetic material into the host cell nucleus without integrating into the host genome</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the advantage of using retroviruses as gene therapy vectors?

    <p>They are able to integrate their genome into the host cell genome</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern with using in-vivo gene therapy?

    <p>Off-target effects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of retroviruses that makes them a subclass of RNA viruses?

    <p>They have a reverse transcriptase enzyme</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary advantage of using ex-vivo gene therapy?

    <p>It allows for more control over gene expression</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of adenoviruses that distinguishes them from retroviruses?

    <p>They have a double-stranded DNA genome</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary cause of Parkinson's disease?

    <p>Absence of a chemical called GABA in the brain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of the gene that produces glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in gene therapy for Parkinson's disease?

    <p>To increase the level of GABA in the brain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease?

    <p>Reduced levels of BDNF in damaged brain regions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the goal of gene therapy in Alzheimer's disease?

    <p>To boost the levels of BDNF in damaged brain regions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the advantage of direct delivery of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene into respiratory tract epithelium cells?

    <p>It can bypass the physical and immunity barriers in the host's lung</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the challenge of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis?

    <p>The physical and immunity barriers in the host's lung</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of vector system is the most advanced for cystic fibrosis gene therapy?

    <p>Adenovectors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the goal of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis?

    <p>To deliver the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene to respiratory tract epithelium cells</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Routes of Administration

    • In-vivo (Direct): introduces vectors directly into the body, less invasive, simpler, and has more off-target effects
    • Ex-vivo (Cell-based): introduces vectors indirectly, more invasive, more complex, and has more control

    Gene Therapy

    • Definition: an experimental procedure aimed at replacing, manipulating, or supplementing nonfunctional or malfunctioning genes with healthy genes
    • Goal: to treat genetic disorders that previously had no conventional medical treatment
    • Recent developments: effective and long-term cured cases have been reported, but high cost is a major drawback

    Types of Gene Therapy

    • Somatic Gene Therapy: focuses on treating an individual's faulty condition, effects are short-lived, and has less ethical concerns
    • Germline Gene Therapy: aims to prevent genetic diseases from affecting future generations, makes permanent changes, and has high ethical concerns

    Gene Therapy Applications

    • Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID): somatic gene therapy introduces a functional ADA gene into immune cells
    • Preventing Inherited Genetic Disorders: germline gene therapy edits the faulty gene in embryos to prevent the disorder from being passed on to children

    Gene Therapy Strategies

    • Gene Augmentation Therapy: introduces a new protein-coding or functional gene to enhance cell functionality
    • Gene Inhibition Therapy: reduces or eliminates the expression of a gene
    • Gene Editing Therapy: makes precise changes to a gene
    • Suicide Gene Therapy: induces cell death in target cells

    Viral Vectors

    • Adenovirus: has a double-stranded DNA genome, causes respiratory, intestinal, and ocular infections, and can be used for gene therapy
    • Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV): a small, single-stranded DNA virus, non-pathogenic, and can insert genetic material into a specific location on a chromosome
    • Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV): a dsDNA human neurotropic virus used for gene transfer, mainly in the nervous system
    • Retrovirus: can convert RNA genomes into double-stranded DNA and integrate into host cell chromosomes, but has the risk of insertional mutagenesis

    Physical Methods of Gene Delivery

    • Electroporation: uses high-voltage short pulses to transfer DNA into cells, but has high rates of cell death
    • Gene Gun: uses particle bombardment to transfer DNA into cells

    Gene Therapy Applications in Diseases

    • Parkinson's Disease: gene therapy increases the level of GABA in the brain
    • Alzheimer's Disease: gene therapy boosts levels of BDNF in damaged brain regions
    • Cystic Fibrosis: direct delivery of the CFTR gene into respiratory tract epithelium cells as the target tissue

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    Description

    This quiz covers the different routes of administration and delivery systems of gene therapy vectors, including in-vivo and ex-vivo methods, and their characteristics.

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