Herpes simplex virus

words of Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft. Gene therapy is one of the most dynamic therapies in the medical field and most people underestimate it. Gene therapy can cure common diseases like these and it is a method that has recently brought the world to seek medical treatment in a new way. In-depth gene therapy research has been happening since the late 20th century and a recent breakthrough is allowing it to accomplish unheard of tasks. Genetic therapy has become a revolutionary medical…

virology have begun to explore such an option. One of the first viruses to be used in such manner is an engineered herpes virus, capable of provoking an immune response against cancer. Since this discovery the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a genetically engineered virus known as talimonogene laherparepvec, or T-VEC for short. This cancer fighting virus, known as an oncolytic virus, is approved to treat patients suffering from melanoma, a skin based cancer. Since the 1800s…

The study of influenza virus evolution is not new. In fact, humans have been studying influenza viruses since the beginning of the 18th century. Three types of influenza viruses exist: A, B and C. Influenza B is a strain of influenza virus with the ability to cause severe epidemics. Although influenza A and B have similar structure, genome organization, and epidemiology, they have several important differences which imply that their evolutionary dynamics differ. Unlike influenza A viruses,…

A virus- a complex microscopic organism that possesses the ability to replicate inside the cells of a host. For centuries scientists have debated the topic of whether viruses are living organisms- or not. Viruses have been left in a “gray area”, becoming ignored in the study of evolution by scientists. When not in contact with a host, viruses tend to stray from the characteristics that define life. Characteristics such as the ability to respond to their environment, lack of cells, and the…

Mononucleosis also known as the kissing disease is caused by an infection with the epstein-barr virus. Also caused by being exposed to someone who has this disease. This disease is actually very common and isn't permanent. If you have this disease you need to be cautious because you are contagious. There are many symptoms to this disease such as, fever, rash, swollen glands, sore throat, headache, soft swollen spleen, swollen tonsils, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes (on the neck and armpits), and…

Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering in Human Beings We, as human beings, all start off the same way. A lucky sperm meets an egg and forms the beginning of a whole new life. From that very moment it is predetermined in our DNA that we will have a certain color of hair, be of a certain height, and what color that our eyes will be. Then, approximately nine months later we are welcomed into the world carrying with us every trait that our DNA tells us to have. People will come in to see the miracle…

There are many ways of getting sick such as airborne, touching someone. For a long time this is how people have gotten a cold or chicken pox. As medicine is readily available to aid in the recovery of an illness. Viruses can become resistant to medicine just as our bodies could resist to some sicknesses. In the book Biological Terrorism by Steve Goodwin and Randall W. Phillis they present a history of microorganism used to help cure diseases and misused by Medics, and biological warfare. To…

Conquering Cancer Through Gene Virus Therapy When you have cancer, you want the best doctors and effective therapies tailored just for you. At Mayo Clinic we have more than 4,000 world class physicians in every medical specialty dedicated to working together to chart the quickest path to healing. When it comes to cancer research, Mayo Clinic has the broadest, most comprehensive oncolytic virotherapy program in the US. Thanks to benefactors, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center (MCCC) is making great…

the origin of the CRISRP acronym. These CRISPR sequences are specific patterns of DNA sequences that are capable of being edited out of genes. Using the CRISPR system, bacteria are able to destroy the genome of invading viruses and thus prevent the virus from being able to replicate and survive in its host.…

Introduction Bacteriophages, informally known as phages, are a specific type of virus that only infect bacteria. Since their discovery in the early 1900s , researchers have began studying the various behaviors and interactions of phages within the environment (Poxleitner, Pope, Jacobs-Sera, Sivanathan, & Hatfull, 2016). Their name, bacteriophages, is derived from the idea that they are “bacteria eaters.” Due to their bacteria-destroying nature, they have been used in phage therapy in which they…