Using a virus to treat obesity -- is it practical?

[Green Xenon]

Hi:

 

Let's say I bioengineer a virus to infect the adipocytes of obese patients. There are many who desperately want to lose fat-weight at all costs but are too lazy to resist the temptation of junk food. Would my virus assist them in losing weight? What would be the downsides?

 

I have an acquaintance [really a friend of my close friend]. He is at least 350 lbs. I don't even want to get into what his daily routine is like. It's very depressing. He eats likes its no ones business. He takes up the whole back seat of a car.

 

He clearly does not have the will power I have. In a month I was able to lose 20 lbs from 205 to 185. However, this dude is just too driven by his lust for food. As far as I know, he has been this way ever since he was born.

 

I think he and much of the obese world needs some aggressive intervention that does not involve much determination on patient's part. Just think of what would happen if I treated him with this virus.

 

Adipocytes are cells, and viruses need cells in order to reproduce. Why not tweak viruses into attacking those evil cells of fat until they perish? I'm sure many overweight patients would appreciate this viral therapy.

 

The issues are is how to:

 

1. Attract viruses to the adipocytes only

2. Prevent the viruses from attacking the rest of the body

3. Prevent the immune system from attacking this beneficial virus

4. Prevent the virus from being contagious

 

Once the adipose tissue is gone, my friend's friend can continue to eat whatever he wants and still be slim n' trim.

 

I'm sure what I'm proposing is possible but does anyone else have any input as to what the drawbacks are?

 

 

Thanks a bunch,

 

GX

[Ringer]

Personally I would think, ethical issues aside, that it would be far to difficult to regulate how much fat the virus attacks. If the virus wasn't stopped in time it would be the end of breasts as we know them.

[Genecks]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

Well, there are plenty of rat and mouse models you could experiment with in order to get the virus working with them.

The first thing that comes to mind is the possibility that the virus starts attacking fat that's necessary for neural conduction.

If that occurs, then the virus is bad and can't be used for marketing purposes.

 

I suspect there are fat-cell specific proteins on the surface of these adipocytes...

 

Well, your theory is testable. However, I'm unsure of the negative consequences.

Perhaps it would attack fat reserves in particular organs that require fat... and perhaps the cellular death of these fat cells would release toxic chemicals too rapidly into the neighboring cells of that organ causing organ failure due to the toxicity... just a hypothesis.

 

Yeah, it could induce acidosis.

 

Personally I would think, ethical issues aside, that it would be far to difficult to regulate how much fat the virus attacks. If the virus wasn't stopped in time it would be the end of breasts as we know them.

 

Well, men would take the drug. But then again, there might be very negative outcomes for the buttocks, and sitting would become difficult.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Genecks

[Green Xenon]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

Well, there are plenty of rat and mouse models you could experiment with in order to get the virus working with them.

The first thing that comes to mind is the possibility that the virus starts attacking fat that's necessary for neural conduction.

If that occurs, then the virus is bad and can't be used for marketing purposes.

 

I suspect there are fat-cell specific proteins on the surface of these adipocytes...

 

Well, your theory is testable. However, I'm unsure of the negative consequences.

Perhaps it would attack fat reserves in particular organs that require fat... and perhaps the cellular death of these fat cells would release toxic chemicals too rapidly into the neighboring cells of that organ causing organ failure due to the toxicity... just a hypothesis.

 

Yeah, it could induce acidosis.

 

 

 

Well, men would take the drug. But then again, there might be very negative outcomes for the buttocks, and sitting would become difficult.

 

1. The virus would not attack neural fat molecules, because these are not fat *cells*. A virus needs an actual living host cell, not a molecule, for survival and reproduction.

 

2. If the fat reserves in vital organs consist of fat *cells*, then their will be a problem. However, if those reserves are simply non-cellular lipid molecules, then there isn't much to worry about.

 

3. Is there a way to ensure that the death of fat cells -- due to viral infection -- is in the form of apoptosis and not necrosis? Apoptosis is "clean". Necrosis, on the other hand, involves a significant amount of inflammation.

 

4. Would the acidosis result directly from the cell death?

 

Personally I would think, ethical issues aside, that it would be far to difficult to regulate how much fat the virus attacks. If the virus wasn't stopped in time it would be the end of breasts as we know them.

 

 

That is why the virus must be modified -- prior to use as medical treatment -- in such a way that it cannot spread. Is there a way to regulate this?

 

Certain viruses are contagious while others aren't.

[Ringer]

That is why the virus must be modified -- prior to use as medical treatment -- in such a way that it cannot spread. Is there a way to regulate this?

 

Certain viruses are contagious while others aren't.

If it can't be spread how will it reproduce? I think it would just be too difficult to control something like that. I'm not really that informed on viruses and how to regulate them and such so this is just speculation.

[Green Xenon]

If it can't be spread how will it reproduce? I think it would just be too difficult to control something like that. I'm not really that informed on viruses and how to regulate them and such so this is just speculation.

 

 

The goal here is for the virus to be able to spread within the adipose tissues of the overweight patient but without spreading to:

 

1. Other parts of the body

2. The environment outside of the body

 

If this worked out, then the patient would trim down completely even if his/her unhealthy diet continued.