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Cryptic Plasmid Cancer Gene Therapy

While there are a number of new and innovative techniques being developed to help combat cancer, gene therapy is perhaps one of the most exciting. Consisting of the targeted re-engineering of the body's genetic code to help stave off the spread of cancer, gene therapy provides a precise approach to what is currently a rather messy science.

  1. Cancer

    • Cancer occurs where the body fails to properly contain and destroy an abnormal mutation in a cell. If left unchecked, these abnormal cells will eventually divide and spread to such an extent that ordinary biological processes like eating, breathing and digestion are so impaired that death is inevitable. Symptoms of cancer include night sweats, weight loss, fever and chills.

    Basics

    • According to the National Cancer Institute, gene therapy (whether through using cryptic plasmids or another method) consists of injecting the body with genetic material. This material is used to alter the genetic coding of the cells, rendering them immune to disease or better able to fight off the threat of disease. In cancer research, gene therapy is often used to convince the body's immune system to attack the cancerous cells.

    Cryptic Plasmids

    • A plasmid is a transferable portion of DNA, the genetic material that is contained within all cells. According to Mondofacto.com, an online dictionary of medical terms, cryptic plasmids have no known effect on the cell within which it is contained, and also possess no additional genetic material beyond that required for the cell to continue reproducing. In essence, cryptic plasmids are a type of unknown, in that they appear to serve no useful function and exist only to replicate themselves.

    Cryptic Plasmid Theory

    • Although seemingly without purpose in their original state, cryptic plasmids are useful as a transport mechanism for new genetic material during gene therapy. As they exist as a type of "blank slate," they are ideally suited for being reengineered to contain additional genetic material. The two major problems in gene therapy are (1) making the correct manipulation and (2) engineering a delivery device to allow the modified genetic material to enter and alter the existing cells. Cryptic plasmids deal with the second issue, serving as an effective transport mechanism to deliver the new genetic modifications.

    Cryptic Plasmid Research

    • According to a study out of China published online in October 2007 in the journal "Cancer Gene Therapy," cryptic plasmids show promise as effective vehicles for gene therapy. In the study, cryptic plasmids were used in conjunction with Bifidobacterium longum (a type of bacteria) to slow the growth of liver tumors in mice. The plan was effective, indicating that plasmids are a stable method of transporting anti-cancer genetic material into the body.

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