How does the adenovirus differ from a retrovirus?
Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that frequently cause acute upper respiratory tract infections, ie colds. They are considered safer for gene therapy than retroviruses as they replicate in the host cell nucleus without integrating themselves into the host genome. Part of their appeal is that they can affect all the areas where most diseases occur, such as body organs and muscle tissue, and that they can be produced in large quantities. One obvious problem with adenoviruses is that they only survive in the cell for a few weeks before the immune system manages to fight them off. Many people have antibodies from previous adenovirus infections that fight against the virus when it is put into the body, preventing it from delivering its DNA cargo. What human testing safeguards are normally in place to prevent tragedies like Jesse’s? A proposed gene therapy experiment (‘protocol’) must first be approved by a countrys research governing body. Testing on humans can only take place after rigo
