[Question] If bacteria gave us a tool for bio engineering, have viruses given us a delivery mechanism?

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ZzWFyKemjJsTaaguw/if-bacteria-gave-us-a-tool-for-bio-engineering-have-viruses

If so what is the name for that technology and what would be the right search terms to find the literature? From bacteria we got CRISPR.

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https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ZzWFyKemjJsTaaguw/if-bacteria-gave-us-a-tool-for-bio-engineering-have-viruses?commentId=LN6gkDpDeGvfHrTf3

Yes they have! Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) have been used to deliver gene therapies, with one prominent example being Zolgensma, a treatment for a rare genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy.

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  • omega_karma
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    2020-05-21T14:29
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ZzWFyKemjJsTaaguw/if-bacteria-gave-us-a-tool-for-bio-engineering-have-viruses?commentId=hWxH3na5XMgRX9NpZ

Thanks. Interesting. Seems that the term I want is "viral vector". Clearly some bugs still to work out (bad pun, sorry) but seems like a very promising approach though I think eventually the fix should be something that is also present in off-spring (which currently is probably illegal so and will change the risk assessment needed)

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    kjz
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    2020-05-21T23:05

Yup, viral vector is the more general term. And you’re right, heritable modifications are much more controversial, which is why the Crispr babies got so much attention a little while back.