You want to use retroviruses to deliver DNA to a type of cells to promote certain...

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Biology

You want to use retroviruses to deliver DNA to a type of cellsto promote certain phenotype. Before you start, you want toestimate the delivery efficiency. The cells are spread on a solidsupport and covered with an aqueous medium. The culture dish is 6cm in diameter and the medium is 6 mm deep. You add the virusparticle at the top of the medium. The virus has a half life of 8hours in solution. The diffusion coefficient of the virus is10^-7 cm²/s.
(a) Estimate the fraction of virus particles that reach cellswithin their half life when the medium is stagnant. Hints: (1)using scaling analysis to find out the time scale for the virus todiffuse from top to bottom; (2) assume death of the virus followsthe kinetics of first order reactions.
(b) Comment on the efficiency of delivery. Suggest approach(es)to improve the delivery efficiency

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3.6 Ratings (306 Votes)

The process of delivering viral cells into host cells likebacteria is known as transduction Transduction of bacterialhostcells by viruses can be carried out by plating the viralcellsphage particles onto the host cells wherein they getadsorbed onto the host cell surface Transduction can occurnaturally or can be carried out artificially in a lab Artificialmethods of transduction is also known as transfection A fractionof the host cells get infected by the viruses during thisincubation period The number of host cells that have beenincubated give us the efficiency of transfectionThe fraction of virus particles adsorbed onto the host cellsurface is also represented by the fraction of cells active Thisis being denoted by factive and See Answer

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