Am I still lactose tolerant? - Lactose Gene Therapy Update
The Thought Emporium
12 min, 24 sec
A detailed update on the gene therapy experiment aimed at curing lactose intolerance, explaining the initial success, subsequent wear-off, and future improvements.
Summary
- The speaker initially used a home-brewed genetically modified virus to cure his lactose intolerance, achieving 18 months of tolerance.
- As the effect wore off, he discussed the original study on rats, and his own results, which aligned with the study's findings.
- He then compared the old gene therapy method using AAVs with a new, potentially safer and cheaper non-viral method using chitosan for DNA delivery.
- The new DNA plasmid is designed to be human-compatible, avoiding immune system reactions and increasing the duration of effectiveness.
- An appeal for community feedback and testing in cell culture, not humans, was made along with sharing the DNA file on GitHub.
Chapter 1
The speaker recounts his successful experiment to cure lactose intolerance using a genetically modified virus.
- The speaker used a genetically modified virus to cure his lactose intolerance, which was effective for a long time.
- He had become lactose intolerant in high school due to the inability to produce the enzyme lactase.
Chapter 2
The speaker describes the duration of the lactose intolerance treatment's effectiveness and its gradual wear-off.
- The treatment remained effective for about 18 months before the speaker had to start taking lactase pills again.
- The experiment was based on a study done on rats, and the speaker's results matched the study's six-month effectiveness.
Chapter 3
The speaker explains the differences between the old virus-based and the new non-viral method for lactase gene delivery.
- The original therapy used AAV for delivery, while the new design uses chitosan for cheaper and safer delivery.
- The new plasmid features human lactase to avoid immune response and a human promoter for consistent gene expression.
- An S/MAR sequence was added to the new plasmid to potentially increase the duration of the treatment's effectiveness.
Chapter 4
The speaker invites community contributions to the project and emphasizes safety and proper testing protocols.
- The DNA file has been uploaded to GitHub for community feedback, with a request to share any synthesized DNA with the speaker.
- The speaker cautions against self-testing and outlines the importance of cell culture testing before considering human trials.