Question

Is it possible to turn a virus against itself by genetic engineering?

Answer 1

Viruses are essentially comprised of a nucleic acid core surrounded by a protein coat. The protein coat contains specific glycoproteins that enable them to bind to receptors in the body, causing them to fuse to the cell membrane and release their nucleic acid sequence to infect the cell.

 

The virulent nucleic acid sequence hijacks the cellular machinery to self-replicate, lyse the cell, spread, and infect other cells.

 

Common pathogenic viruses can be genetically modified to make them less pathogenic, such that their virulent properties are diminished but can still be recognized by the immune system to produce a robust immune response against. They are described as live attenuated.

 

This is the basis of many successful vaccines and is a better alternative than traditional vaccine development which typically includes heat-mediated disabling of viruses that tend to be poorer in terms of immunogenicity.

 

In addition to the creation of live vaccines to induce a protective immune response to prevent future infections, viruses can also be genetically modified to ‘fight viruses’ by boosting immune cells to make more effective antibodies, especially where vaccines fail. Where vaccines fail, it is often due to the impaired antibody production by B-cells, even though antibodies can be raised against such viruses – including HIV, EBV, RSV & cold-viruses.

 

In one recent study, scientists genetically engineered a strategy that led to the expression of protective antibodies against RSV, HIV, influenza, and EBV in both mouse and human B-cells. By modifying the heavy chain loci in these B-cells, they can retain their ability to undergo alternative splicing to generate cell surface and secreted antibodies at protective levels to provide immunity to diseases that are not currently preventable by vaccines.

 

In summary, viruses can be genetically engineered to be used as vectors to deliver functional genes (or gene inactivation) in gene therapy, to treat genetically inherited diseases, and to boost B-cells to produce antibodies against dangerous viruses that at present do not have any vaccines against them.

yes