Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Laboratory equipment

The Apoptosis Code and Medical Benefits

September 23, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

A discussion of apoptosis and how application of its genetic code in medical research and experimentation can provide benefits

Question

How does the discovery of the genetic code of apoptosis benefit medicine?

Answer

Apoptosis is a tightly regulated, gene-directed programme of cell death, usually occurring during development and ageing, and as a homeostatic mechanism to maintain normal cell populations in tissues (Yaacoub et al., 2016). Inappropriate apoptosis is a factor in the pathogenesis of many human diseases. Insufficient apoptosis may cause autoimmune diseases or cancers; enhanced apoptosis, however, can cause neurodegenerative disease, and immunodeficiency (Zangemeister-Wittke and Simon, 2001; Hassan et al., 2014).

The molecular mechanisms governing apoptosis are fairly well understood; however apoptosis remains the focus of continued research (Elmore, 2007). The discovery and subsequent sequencing of key pro-apoptotic genes, such as the p53 tumour suppressor gene, has given new insights into disease processes, influencing therapeutic strategies (Zhivotovsky and Orrenius, 2010). An enhanced understanding of the key genes regulating apoptosis has led to many benefits to medicine: these include a new generation of anti-cancer drugs in clinical trials, and innovative new ‘suicide gene’ therapies (Karjoo et al., 2016). Such potential therapies include work by Senzer et al., (2013), who created a liposomal p53 nanocomplex to induce apoptosis in advanced solid malignant tumours. A recent study by Lv et al., (2016) has demonstrated the successful use of the IL-24 gene to induce apoptosis in human lung cancer cells. It is clear that deeper insight into apoptosis is facilitating exciting new biological treatments, representing a revolution in the treatment of disease (particularly targeted cancer therapies) (Lv et al., 2016).

References

Elmore, S., (2007) Apoptosis: A review of programmed cell death. Toxicologic Pathology; 35 (4): 495-516.

Hassan, M., Watari, H., AbuAlmaaty, A., Ohba, y., Sakuragi, N., (2014) Apoptosis and molecular targeting therapy in cancer. BioMed Research International; 150845.

Karjoo, Z., Chen, X., Hatefi, A., (2016) Progress and problems with the use of suicide genes for targeted cancer therapy. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews; 99: 113-128.

Lv, C., Su, Q., Liang, Y., Hu, J., Yuan., S (2016) Oncolytic vaccine virus harboring the IL-24 gene suppresses the growth of lung cancer by inducing apoptosis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications; 476: 21-28.

Senzer, N., Nemunaitis, J., Nemunaitis D., Bedell, C., Edelman, G., Barve, M., et al., (2013) Phase I study of a systemically delivered p53 nanoparticle in advanced solid tumours. Molecular Therapy; 21 (5): 1096-1103.

Yaacoub, K., Pedeux, R., Tarte, K., Guillaudeux, T., (2016) Role of the tumour microenvironment in regulating apoptosis and cancer progression. Cancer Letters; 378: 150-159.

Zhangemesiter-Wittke, U., Simon, H. U., (2001) Apoptosis – Regulation and clinical implications. Cell Death and Differentiation; 8: 537-544.

Zhivotovsky, B., Orrenius, S., (2010) Cell death mechanisms: Cross-talk and role in disease. Experimental Cell Research; 316: 1374-1383

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Organisational structures: Functional, Divisional, Matrix, and Line and Staff

Next Post:

Can shops stop giving cash refunds if stated when purchasing the product that you can only return a product for in-store credits?

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT