amyinva Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 My DD has been interested in virology for years, and knows a fair amount about the topic, but she has been reading a book lately that has her at a bit of a loss. It is a book about developing a vaccine for HIV, and it discusses naked DNA. It does not explain it very completely, however, and after reading the chapter and looking it up on Wikipedia, I still don't understand it well enough to explain it to my DD. Any biologists or virologists out there who want to take a stab at it? :) thank you, Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 (edited) Sorry, I'm not in those fields, but it is an interesting science. Here is a link http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/002155.html You might look up info on Jon Wolff, the man that pioneered it. A quote from the site above: "In the experiments, the scientists did not use viruses to carry genes inside cells, a path many other groups have taken. Instead, they used “naked” DNA, an approach Wolff has pioneered. Naked DNA poses fewer immune issues because, unlike viruses, it does not contain a protein coat (hence the term “naked”), which means it cannot move freely from cell to cell and integrate into the chromosome. As a result, naked DNA does not cause antibody responses or genetic reactions that can render the procedure harmful." Here is another link http://www.nature.com/gt/journal/v10/n6/abs/3301983a.html Google naked DNA - interesting stuff Good luck! We need more people in the field to find vaccines and cures for so many devastating illnesses! We have unwillingly been thrust into medical land, and it is quite interesting now that we are here. Edited November 18, 2008 by dwkilburn1 more info found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyinva Posted November 18, 2008 Author Share Posted November 18, 2008 Thank you, I think this will be helpful. :) Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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