Why is AAV gene therapy so expensive?5 answersAAV gene therapy is expensive primarily due to high manufacturing costs, limiting its accessibility. The cost of AAV therapies, such as those for Leber’s congenital amaurosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and hemophilia B, can range from $850,000 to $3,500,000 per patient. Challenges in manufacturing AAVs, including issues with productivities, vector purities, and levels of non-functional capsids, contribute to the high costs. Additionally, the uncertainty in clinical evidence at launch and affordability within healthcare budgets pose barriers to patient access, further impacting the pricing of gene therapies. Efforts are being made to address these challenges through synthetic biology design to decrease production costs, potentially making gene therapy more widely accessible.
What are the bacteriophages families?5 answersBacteriophages are classified into one order and 13 families. The order is called Caudovirales, and it consists of three families: Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, and Podoviridae. The largest group among bacteriophages is the tailed phages, which make up 96% of examined phages. Within the tailed phages, the Siphoviridae family is the most common, accounting for 61% of tailed phages. There are also other families of bacteriophages, such as Corticoviridae, Cystoviridae, Plasmaviridae, and Tectiviridae, which are lipid-containing bacteriophages. These families have a diverse range of viruses with lipid constituents in addition to nucleic acid and protein.
What are the iron needs for dairy bacteriophages growth?5 answersIron needs for dairy bacteriophages growth vary depending on the specific phage-host system studied. In general, nitrogen compounds are specifically required for successful phage infection, beyond their influence on bacterial growth. The presence of iron in the growth medium may also play a role in phage infection, but this aspect has not been specifically addressed in the abstracts provided. Further research is needed to determine the exact iron requirements for dairy bacteriophages.
What is the bacteriophage BF23?5 answersBacteriophage BF23 is a type of bacteriophage that belongs to the T5 group. It has been extensively studied along with other phages in the T5 group, including T5, PB, BG3, and 29 alpha. BF23 has two late genes, gene 24 and gene 25, which encode tail proteins with specific molecular weights. The expression of these genes is controlled by a late gene promoter called P25, which is similar in structure to Escherichia coli promoters for sigma 70. BF23 also has type I and type II genes, which are involved in the synthesis of tail proteins and late proteins, respectively. The receptor-binding region of the BF23 tail protein pb5(BF23) is distinct from that of pb5(T5), with specific regions of similarity and nonsimilarity. Overall, BF23 exhibits unique features such as interrupted phosphodiester bonds, a two-step mechanism for DNA transfer, and large terminal repetitions in its DNA.
What are bacteriophages?5 answersBacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. They can be classified into two types: lytic and lysogenic. Lytic phages lyse the host cell at the end of their reproductive cycle, while lysogenic phages can integrate their genome into the host genome, potentially transferring bacterial antibiotic resistance genes. Bacteriophages have various applications, including phage therapy for bacterial infections, food preservation, disinfection, dysbiosis treatment, and modulation of microbiomes. They can also be used for non-bacterial infections, pest control in agriculture, decreasing bacterial virulence and antibiotic resistance, and combating global warming. In dermatology, bacteriophages have shown potential for treating dermatoses with a risk of bacterial infection, such as atopic dermatitis and acne. The use of bacteriophages in various fields is expanding due to the constant growth of antibiotic resistance.
How much would it cost to make dark matter?5 answers