Can Human Genetic Engineering Be Done On An Adult Human.?
The only example of GE I can think of done on an adult human would be a treatment for cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is caused by a channel protein not working. As a result, too much water remains in the epithelial cells which leads to thick sticky mucus and thus the symptoms of cystic fibrosis (coughing etc) Basically, they take an ‘adenovirus’, and insert into it a ‘healthy’ copy of the gene needed to make the channel protein. They then put the virus into a spray and get the patient to inhale it. The virus then inserts the healthy gene into epithelial cells to cause them to produce the healthy carrier protein instead of the unhealthy one. Hope this helps.
