Gene Therapy Flashcards Preview

OCR Biology F215 > Gene Therapy > Flashcards

Flashcards in Gene Therapy Deck (4)
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1
Q

What is somatic cell gene therapy?

A
  • it is the addition of a functioning copy of a faulty gene into the relevant specialised cells (augmentation)
  • this means that lost polypeptides can now be synthesised and the cells can function normally
2
Q

How do you get the gene into the cell?

A
  • by using a liposome (manufactured vesicle)

* liposome fuses with cell surface membrane releasing the gene inside the target cell

3
Q

What is germline cell gene therapy?

A
  • involves germline cells (sperm, egg, zygote, stem cell)
  • engineering a gene into any of these cells means that as an organism grows every cell contains a copy of the engineered gene which can function in any cell
  • this can therefore be inherited by offspring
  • currently illegal in humans
4
Q

What is gene therapy?

A
  • it is treating genetic disorders by inserting new genes
  • if the genetic disorder to caused by dominant alleles you can silence the dominant allele
  • if the genetic disorder is caused by two recessive alleles you can add a working dominant allele to make up for them