Understanding Adenoviruses
The human body is composed of all sorts of chemicals, proteins, and compounds. Some are harmful and capable of causing debilitating diseases. Others are benign. Still others are actually useful to the body’s various processes.
Adenoviruses tend to be more of the first. However, adenovirus vectors, used in conjunction with lenteviral expression systems, have been helping fight various battles on the human disease front.
About Adenovirus
Before we get to adenoviral expression kits, it’s a good idea to understand adenoviruses. Believe it or not, adenoviruses are actually fairly abundant and pretty common. They received their name from first being found and isolated in the adenoids, which are found in the nasal cavity, where the nose blends into the throat.
For the most part, adenoviruses are responsible for various respiratory diseases along with some maladies unrelated to the respiratory system, though nothing especially serious given proper treatment. In general, an adenovirus infection has symptoms resembling the common cold. Given the severity of the infection, symptoms can be reminiscent of bronchitis, croup, or pneumonia.
Kids are the most susceptible to adenovirus infections, and most children will have dealt with an infection by the age of 10. Adenoviruses are very contagious, so chances are that if one student has an infection, everyone else in the classroom will follow suit.
Antibiotics don’t have any effect on viruses, but given a few days of rest, the body should easily get over the sickness.
Combating the Worst
Aside from a few days of inconvenience, adenoviruses are pretty harmless and otherwise forgettable. However, scientists have used them to varying effect in research.
Adenoviruses are injected into host cells. Scientists study how the adenovirus reacts to the cells. Because adenoviruses resemble certain genetic diseases, these adenovirus vectors can give scientists an in-depth look at how the more severe diseases affect the body.
Research has found that various diseases are caused by damage to the genes. The most prominent of these is cancer. Cancer is caused by DNA damage, a natural occurrence that tends to accumulate throughout the course of a person’s life. Even the most minute variations in a person’s genes can increase a person’s risk of cancer.
Recombinant adenoviruses have been used to introduce genetic material into host cells. When used with cell signaling technologies, recombinant adenoviruses can be used as a form of targeted therapy to treat cancer by blocking the growth of cancer cells. Hopefully, adenovirus research can continue to develop into an effective cure for all forms of cancer.