Question

For some diseases, you might not have to infect the cell responsible for the disease. For example, the inability to produce insulin causes diabetes. If you could get the cold virus to convince your lung cells to secrete insulin, you might be able to treat diabetes without having to infect pancreatic cells (the site of normal cell insulin production). Would muscular dystrophy or obesity be treated via this indirect approach? Why?

Answer 1

Muscular dystrophy would not be treated with this indirect approach. Muscular dystrophy occur dur to mutation in gene , which synthesize dystrophin protein. This protein is a important structural component of muscle. So muscle becomes weaker day by day. According to indirect approach, some other place in the body can be stimulated and desired protein can be synthesized at that place which through blood travels to site of action and perform the function. So in case of muscular dystrophy it is not possible to synthesize such large gene and transport through blood. As this protein is comopnent of muscle, so it will also pose a problem. So it would not be possible to treat muscular dystrophy by using this alternative approach.

In my opinion, it would also be difficult to treat obesity using alternative approach. Obesity is multifactorial disease. Multiple factors interact with each other and involve in obesity. Thus by using alternative approach it would not be that easy to recreate that interacting environment, which in turn regulate obesity. For example, sedentary life style is a big factor for obesity. Do it is not possible to traet by using alternative approach. But if there is some genetic defect in that case we can use this approach. But actually all the process occur in linked way. So it is kind of difficult to use alternate approach to treat the disease.