Can you achieve telomere maintenance without using gene therapy

[bioquest]

Can you achieve telomere maintenance without using gene therapy?
if so, what are the ways?
thanks

 

[bioquest]

is it possible injecting pure telomerase would work or would it not be able to get inside the cells?
I thought adeno associated virus would be used if it were ever done? But would you not be able to use that on a large quantity of cells?

 

[mazinse]

enzymes cannot get into the cell especially not the nucleus where your genes are. The reason adenovirus is unfavorable is precisely because you mentioned telomerase as in the gene will only be used when the cell divides. Adenoviruses' genes cannot be passed onto the daughter cells because their dna is never integrated into the host unlike retroviruses that do integrate their genes into the host.

 

[bioquest]

can telomerase be delivered by nanoparticles or anything or is it still to big, for the cell to be able to get additional telomerase without gene therapy?

example of nanoparticle protein delivery:

http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=14262.php

 

[bioquest]

also can a gene gun be used to do gene therapy on a person? why or why not?

 

[bioquest]

can a gene gun be used to deliver telomerase? its a large protein

 

[Monique]

Biolistic particle delivery system? You coat a heavy metal (usually gold) with DNA, which is then shot through tissues. While the heavy metal passes through the cells the DNA gets stripped and stays behind in the cells. No, for obvious reasons.