How might viruses help cure genetic diseases?

Question

Sebastian Alvarez · Accepted Answer

Viruses get inside host cells and take over their cellular machinery by inserting their own DNA into it.

So virus could be used as a vehicle to deliver the right gene in cells where it is lacking.

Viruses can infiltrate a cell and impose their will on it; if scientists could program a virus—that is, alter its genetic code—to perform certain tasks, the virus could infect a cell and correct it. Vectors are nonpathogenic viruses that are used to transfer pertinent genetic information within their target cell. For instance, cancerous cells are continuously proliferating, mutated cells with incorrect DNA; if a virus was designed to infiltrate a particular type of cancerous cell and modify its DNA to prevent proliferation, the cancerous cells would cease to exist and spread throughout the body. This is one way that viruses may be used to treat certain diseases, though some of these may not be feasible just yet. To learn about a successful gene therapy case study, read this.

Elias Aboujaoude · Answer

undefined Therapeutic genes can be inserted into target cells by viruses, which may be used to treat hereditary illnesses and repair genetic mutations.