On curing cancer?

Question

A typical cancer cell has certain mutations in its genome that mess with life cycles of the cell. There is a couple of specific genes that are involved in fixing the cells damaged DNA such as the gene 51, aka "the guardian of DNA". Mutation of DNA sequences mutate these genes and a DNA is on its way towards becoming a cancer cell. The extracellular matrix also becomes disrupted and the cell looses connection with the outside cells. Would it be possible to somehow take a chemically prepared viral decoy: a retrovirus that contains those curing genes, inject it into the bloodstream and save a cancer cell. If the cell looses all connection with the outside, how does it receive the necessary nutrients for continuous growth and reproduction?

Answer 1

Cancer is the second biggest business next to oil. Why bother curing it? Do you want to ruin the economics of this country??

Answer 2

The gene you're talking about is p53. Although there are other genes involved in cell cycle reguation, p53 is the one that regulates cellular behavior in regard to DNA mutations. Assuming the p53 protein is being produced from the gene in sufficient amounts and is behaving typically it may do one of two things: p53 may induce an event called apoptosis, programmed cell death. If too many deleterious mutations accumulate, the cell is instructed through signal transduction to essentially kill itself. If the DNA damage sustained is fixable, p53 instructs other proteins to go and fix the mutations, replacing the mistakes with the correct amino acids.

The ECM (extracellular matrix) may also be disrupted in carcinogenesis. The behavior is called contact inhibition. When a normal cell comes into contact with other cells, it will stop growing. In cancerous cells, contact with other cells will not inhibit growth.

Usually for energy, cells use respiration. However, cancer cells that have no blood being delivered to them use a process called glycolysis. Glycolysis is a process through which glucose is used to produce energy and oxygen is not necessary. Although the energy output of this process if much less than that of respiration, it is enough to sustain cell life.

It would be possible to insert the genes that are being disturbed through a viral vector. However, the interferences happens at the protein level, not the DNA level. Currently there are cancer therapies in use and being developed that correct atypical protein behavior that block the path of protein involved with cancer progression and development. The way you're thinking about treating cancer is great though. That kind of thinking is exactly the way researchers have developed treatments in use that treat more than the symptoms, but target the causes of cancer.

Answer 3

I think you mean p53.

I am not sure what you mean by "losing all connection with the outside". Tumors typically develop their own blood supply, and this is absolutley essential for tumors to grow larger than 2mm in diameter. This process is called angiogenesis.

There have been a lot of attempts to deliver gene therapy such as you suggested, and they work well in small contained systems. But, once you try to accomplish it in a human or a mouse, the success rate plummets.

Answer 4

perhaps, but there is a possibilty that the genes would be inserted in the wrong place (in the middle of another gene) making things worse, but i have heard about a study that uses HSV, and making it target receptors on cancer cells, when it infects the cell, it makes more of its progeny, and when it releases them the cell dies, killing the cancer

Answer 5

Wow, I think it`ll take a research scientist to answer ur question ! who knows, there might be one reading ur question right now.
Good luck.