I call bullshit on the Lactose Intolerance part. :)
It's not. Your bullshit detector needs recalibration.
He used an engineered adenovirus that attacked the cells responsible for transcribing lactase, which would insert the appropriate sequence into the cells genome which would then manufacture mRNA required to... generate the lactase.
He released all of the files related to the design of the viral genome on GitHub here.
Being intolerant of Lactose is a natural process, not an illness ?
I guess it depends on how you look at it, but it's technically a genetic disorder. Exposure has very little to do with it, because some people lose the ability to produce it at a very early age--regardless of whether they've been exposed to it or not.
Historically, humans from cultures that have long used milk for a variety of foodstuffs are the least likely to become lactose intolerant as they age regardless of exposure. Those whose heritage is from cultures that do not are more likely to become intolerant regardless of exposure.
This is probably an area that warrants further study, but the answer appears to be largely genetic as the production of lactase is "turned off" because of gene expression that tells it to turn off. Reworking the genome of the appropriate intestinal cells to reactivate lactase production will work, and if it could be done on a basis that allowed the daughter cells to retain this gene expression, it could be permanent.
Both videos are linked from the GitHub repo. I'd highly recommend watching them as he explains the thought processes that went into this as well as the genetic background how and why.
It's not. Your bullshit detector needs recalibration.
He used an engineered adenovirus that attacked the cells responsible for transcribing lactase, which would insert the appropriate sequence into the cells genome which would then manufacture mRNA required to... generate the lactase.
He released all of the files related to the design of the viral genome on GitHub here.
I guess it depends on how you look at it, but it's technically a genetic disorder. Exposure has very little to do with it, because some people lose the ability to produce it at a very early age--regardless of whether they've been exposed to it or not.
Historically, humans from cultures that have long used milk for a variety of foodstuffs are the least likely to become lactose intolerant as they age regardless of exposure. Those whose heritage is from cultures that do not are more likely to become intolerant regardless of exposure.
This is probably an area that warrants further study, but the answer appears to be largely genetic as the production of lactase is "turned off" because of gene expression that tells it to turn off. Reworking the genome of the appropriate intestinal cells to reactivate lactase production will work, and if it could be done on a basis that allowed the daughter cells to retain this gene expression, it could be permanent.
Both videos are linked from the GitHub repo. I'd highly recommend watching them as he explains the thought processes that went into this as well as the genetic background how and why.