Who will be first to sport flourescent green hair?

Ohio.com ^ | Sep. 09, 2002 | KEITH MULVIHILL

[Pontiac]

Where do I get my green hair.

But seriously could they put a gene to have hair follicle produce insulin and cure diabetes.

[LibWhacker]

Anything but gray. But I guess a guy would have to give up his life as a cat burglar.

[Grut]

Dennis Rodman already did that - and a generation of Black athletes shaved their heads bald.

[Pontiac]

Last I saw he was sporting orange.

[ofMagog]

No.

[Slainte]

"But seriously could they put a gene to have hair follicle produce insulin and cure diabetes."

Dang! Balding men lose again. It really sucks to be white, overweight and balding. I'm SUPPOSED to be part of the power elite. Now they're going to cure diabetes using hair follicles, and by the time they figure it out, all my follicles will be dormant.

Seriously though, the ability to produce insulin from cells outside the pancrreas would be a true medical miracle.

[Pontiac]

Oh come on. If your that old you've got hair lots of other places that I won't mention.

[Centurion2000]

If they can do it on a hair follicle they could do it for any gland I would think.

Smart adrenal glands would be a nice bonus. Activate at will and amp through the night. Skin cells with kevlar or some ballistic resistance would be kewl too.

And how long till some REALLY enterprising criminal thinks of making raw endorphins, X or LSD via the same technology ? The possibilities are endless.

[MedicalMess]

Type II Diabetes is an infectious disease treatable with antibiotics. Don't suggest to anyone otherwise. You're going to help kill them by supporting a myth and unethical medical dogma. I know... I performed this experiment on my own mother.

[prisoner6]

OK, I hope someone can help me out here, I am TOTALLY igrnoant on this subject.

I've never understood this "gene therapy" stuff. Am I correct in guessing that they inject DNA into a few cells in an embryo?

IOW gene therapy doesn't do much - if anything = for an adult.

Let's say I want green hair. This proceedure doesn't give it to ME, it can only be introduced into growing organisms. AM I correct?

And if I am incorrect, then how in heck does the introduced DNA get into ever cell in the body?

I do realized cells die and are replaced, but I just can't grasp how gene threapy works.

prisoner6

[michigander]

While the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, which comes from jellyfish, has no medical significance, the main goal was to determine if the researchers could make transgenic mouse hair.
"if the researchers could"...
Where's the determinate that questions if they should?

No.
Regardless of the benefits of morning crew calisthenics viewing, this can't be right in any way, shape or form. Just MHO.

[Rocksalt]

Science really comes up with some weird objectives now days.Maybe this will lead to other beneficial stuff in the future,but it seems really strange.

[Pontiac]

IOW gene therapy doesn't do much - if anything = for an adult.

Gene therapy in adults is at least theoretically possible. I do know of it having been tried experimentally on a preadolescent with cancer (unsuccessfully, the child died).

The method that I have read about is the same as in this article which uses a non-viable virus which injects the desired DNA in to the target cells. The DNA then attaches itself to the host DNA. And if successful the new DNA becomes active curing the decease.

And if I am incorrect, then how in heck does the introduced DNA get into ever cell in the body?

A virus is basically DNA surrounded in a protean capsule. The protean Capsule has a surface structure on it that allows it to attach to a structure on the surface of a cell of the host organism.

When the virus is attached to the host cell it is absorbed in to the cell. Once in the cell the protean in the virus is released and finds the host cell DNA and inserts itself in to the host DNA (or some viruses RNA).

Once the virus DNA is in the host DNA it takes over the host cell and makes it manufacture new virus particles. This is why the gene therapy must use deactivated virus.

[Pontiac]

Type II Diabetes is an infectious disease treatable with antibiotics.

I have heard that diabetes may be caused by a infection that causes the body to attack the islets of langerhans. But once the islets are destroyed how can curing the infection cure diabetes.

[Pippin]

Not me!

[prisoner6]

Thank You! I guess what I was missing was the >deactivated virus< I was not aware that a virus could attack virtually every cell in your body. Like I said I know NOTHING about this, I'm more mecahnical in schooling and practice.

Of course for thing slike hair I would guess that it would take wuite a long time for the hair to show results of DNA manipulation.

Well, at least in mine. Wha't sleft grows REAL SLOW! LOL!

Thanks again, you did clear up the issue for me.

prisoner6

BTW this posted to another thread fopr some reason. Gonna confuse things a bit, LOL!

[Pontiac]

was not aware that a virus could attack virtually every cell in your body.

Actually the scientist would choose a virus that would target a particular type of cell. Such as the cold virus to cure a sinus allergy. (I really have no idea if this would work but I think it gets the idea across)

[michigander]

Maybe this will lead to other beneficial stuff in the future,but it seems really strange.

So does cloning in some particular instances I suppose. But, there's a line to be drawn somewhere (hopefully) and perhaps growing "flourescent green hair" from jellyfish DNA is over whatever "the line" "is" IMHO. Not that MHO means anything.

[MedicalMess]

The infection actively surpresses glucose absorption along with other sugars. The theory that islets are destroyed may not be true. In fact the added insulin may actively surpress the pancreas normal production worsening the condition. Using several combinations of antibiotics I was able to reverse diabetic neuropathy and drop the blood glucose levels in half in five days three times in the absence of any signs of illness. The patient was fully examined for any signs of infection and nothing was apparent. I'm certain I know the species of pathogen responsible. It is anaerobic, stealth and the direct or precipitating cause of at least twenty auto-immune disorders. And it is extremely tricky to treat because it can turn on you and attack causing more harm than good if you make the wrong move with antibiotic treatment. So you will understand why I just don't blurt out the pathogen and the antibiotic formulas. Patient treatment must be closely monitored. See other postings by me on fibromyalgia and ADHD.

I would like to point out that the diabetes and the peripheral neuropathy are both caused by the same pathogen circulating in the body. There are more patients that can be referenced on this. I am also one of the patients and I have mostly uncrippled myself from the peripheral neurophathy. I have regressed the condition to 10% of what it was.

[Pontiac]

What are your views of Systemic Lupus and other so called auto-immune deseases. I have read similar theorys on these deseases.