[ogwh]

Enzymes are proteins that accelerate chemical reactions.

Genetic engineering is already used to manufacture some chemicals by modifying the DNA of microbes to produce the necessary enzymes. The microbes then consume the precursor chemicals and synthesise the product.

Indeed every natural bioactive chemical is manufactured by proteins in the form of enzymes.

So the mRNA for the necessary enzymes could be given to a person, and their own cells would become short term chemical factories for their medication.

The problem is getting the cells to synthesise the right amount of a drug, and mRNA is quickly destroyed so would require repeated dosing just like regular drug administration. For something permanent CRISPR-Cas9 would be required to edit the actual DNA of the cells.

A DIY biohacker cured his lactose intolerance by engineering a virus to modify his cells to produce the lactase enzyme in his digestive tract. I think the results lasted several months in that case but could be wrong, may have been permanent. Video of the project on YouTube.

[noveltyaccount]

The video: https://youtu.be/J3FcbFqSoQY - and it did wear off after several months, he discusses it in follow up videos. Speaking for myself, taking a lactose CRISPR treatment twice a year sounds pretty nice compared to avoiding dairy and/or taking lactase with many meals.

[wahern]

Seems like they simply copied this 1998 experiment: "Peroral gene therapy of lactose intolerance using an adeno-associated virus vector", https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1098_1131 In addition to most of the substantive details, the screenshot of "Fig. 2" shown at the 4:45 mark matches Figure 2 in the HTML version of the paper at that link. (EDIT: Screenshot seems to be enlarged clip from the PDF at https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1098_1131.pdf)

[cptaj]

This is nuts. Has there been any peer review of this? Any other sources? I feel like this should be huge

[klipt]

On the other hand if CRISPR edits the wrong thing you might get cancer. At least lactase pills don't give you cancer.