7 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
Cancer biologist here: Another aspect to consider beyond the potential for mutations/cancer is that tissues are composed of multiple cell types. With an injection-based delivery method, there would be no way to control which cells received the CDK1. For example, many tissues contain fibroblasts, which, broadly speaking, are cells that synthesize extracellular proteins such as collagens. One of their many functions is to regulate wound healing: upon injury, they become "activated", proliferate, and synthesize/deposit what amounts to scar tissue. While some scar tissue is helpful for closing wounds, it can also make the tissue really stiff and compromise its function...this process is actually one of the main reasons why heart function declines after a heart attack. So ultimately, delivery of CDK1 could inadvertently jump start the fibroblast cell cycle and "activate" them in a situation where that activation could be detrimental.
Furthermore, the cell cycle is VERY tightly regulated in normal cells. As a result, introducing one pro-proliferative gene/protein would likely be insufficient to regenerate the cells that received it.
Comment by VictorianSpider at 14/11/2021 at 19:07 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Thank you!