2023-05-30 20:00:00
Viruses are efficient biological machines capable of rapidly replicating and generating copies of themselves. That is why some human viruses, such as lentivirusare already being used in studies to deliver DNA or RNA for therapeutic purposes in some animals. However, due to the youth of this new technology, The use of viruses as a treatment for some diseases still has some limitations in its administration and several security problems.
Despite this, the mechanisms used by viruses are an interesting field of research with multiple and hypothetical beneficial applications in medicine. One of the ways to imitate these mechanisms is through the artificial virus design with nanomaterials capable of reproducing its mode of action, and through which to apply different therapeutic treatments.
The mechanisms used by viruses are an interesting field of research
That is precisely what the team led by the researcher from the Catholic University of America has just presented. Venigalla Rao: a novel method for constructing artificial virus-like vectors capable of entering human cells to perform specific tasks, such as gene editing. These customizable nanomaterials could be promising candidates for gene therapy and personalized medicine.
Rao is the founding director of the university’s Bacteriophage Medical Research Center, dedicated to investigating the therapeutic potential of a type of virus that cannot infect humans and many of which are part of the microbiome of a healthy body. Thus, in an article recently published in the journal Nature Communications under the title Design of bacteriophage T4-based artificial viral vectors for human genome remodeling, Rao and colleagues detail a new method for building artificial viral vectors -AVV– using a type of virus that infects bacteria called a T4 bacteriophage.
In test experiments, the authors generated AVVs containing loads of proteins and nucleic acids to demonstrate their potential use in genetic engineering. Specifically, they successfully introduced the complete gene from dystrophin – a protein associated with the protection and repair of muscle cells- in human cells and performed various molecular operations to reshape the human genome.
“This is a big step forward to expand the frontiers of existing gene therapy and also to create new space for future therapies and cures,” Rao states. “We think we have shown that there is a way to develop gene therapy treatments based on bacteriophages safe and effective with nearly unlimited potential for cure for genetic conditions such as sickle cell disease, diabetes, and cancer,” he continues.
Why are women more resistant to viruses?
“Therapies based on this technique will not be available for several years, but this research provides a blueprint for developing treatments and cures that will save hundreds of lives,” he adds. “What we are investigating is a kind of molecular surgery that can safely and precisely correct a defect.”
Furthermore, AVVs can be produced at low cost, with high yield, and the nanomaterials were found to be stable for several months. “And unlike current molecular drugs, which sometimes need to be taken for life, although further work is needed to assess their safety, future bacteriophage-based treatments could lead to cures in a matter of hours or days.”
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