Developing cells that are resistant to viruses, aging, and cancer.
Posted by Leanne Kodsman on
A recent article from TIME magazine takes a look at some exciting news from the scientific group Genome Project-write.
The scientists announced a new plan to develop cells that are resistant to viruses, as well as cells that could be resistant to other hazards like radiation, freezing, aging, and even cancer.
The scientists announced a new plan to develop cells that are resistant to viruses, as well as cells that could be resistant to other hazards like radiation, freezing, aging, and even cancer.
Highlights:
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"There is a very strong reason to believe that we can produce cells that would be completely resistant to all known virusesIt should also be possible to engineer other traits, including resistance to prions and cancer." says Jef Boeke, director of the Institute for Systems Genetics at NYU Langone Medical Center and one of the GP-write leaders.
- Biopharmaceutical company Cellectis will be providing the lab with its virus-targeting technology that uses the TALEN genome editing tool to make extremely precise changes to DNA.
- This approach has proven feasible in testing genetic changes on the bacteria E. coli. A series of 321 changes to the bacteria's genome made the microbes resistant to certain viruses.
- The researchers are hoping to complete their project - which could entail recoding every protein in the human genome, an effort that would require 400,000 changes - within 10 years.
- The project has potential health implications that could help to make pharmaceuticals safer, cheaper, and more reliable.
You can read the full article, "Scientists Announce Plan to Create Virus-Proof Cells," on TIME.
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