The Jenes Pod
I'm Damien Hsieh, a Year 10 student from Hong Kong who loves genetics and molecular biology. These molecules and proteins are practically invisible to the naked eye, but when closely examined, can reveal the inner complexities of thousands of millions of processes that make you. With this science now being harnessed for good, this genetic technology of the future (and practically now!) is what I will be discussing in Jenes, and I hope you will enjoy the breakdowns and explanations of the complex human genome.
The Jenes Pod
Episode 2 - On Genetic Diseases: 65 Roses
ONLY READ THIS AFTER THE MUSIC HAS PLAYED, DON’T SPOIL YOURSELF!
I read Five Feet Apart when I was 13 I think. Looking past all the love and romance (a genre that eventually became my guilty pleasure when it came to my summer reading that year), it introduced a specific disease to me, cystic fibrosis. This was important as it was the first genetic disease that I’ve heard of besides cancer, leading me to investigate it a bit. That was 3 years ago, and now I’m finally revisiting this disease. taking a deep dive into what it is and telling you how gene therapy can be used to treat it.
The name "65 Roses" was attributed to cystic fibrosis in 1965, as that was what one 4-year-old CF sufferer Ricky Weiss thought that he heard when his mother was trying to raise money for her son's cystic fibrosis research.
Works Cited:
CFM. “Mist Tent.” Cystic Fibrosis Medicine, CFM, 22 Feb. 2023, cysticfibrosis.online/mist-tent/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20unpalatable%20nature. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
Chalmers, Sarah. “Cystic Fibrosis - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic, 23 Nov. 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353700. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
Cleveland Clinic. “Postnasal Drip: Symptoms & Causes.” Cleveland Clinic, 19 May 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23082-postnasal-drip. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “Basics of the CFTR Protein | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.” Www.cff.org, www.cff.org/research-clinical-trials/basics-cftr-protein#:~:text=CFTR%20Protein%20Do%3F-. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
---. “Gene Editing for Cystic Fibrosis | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.” Www.cff.org, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2023, www.cff.org/research-clinical-trials/gene-editing-cystic-fibrosis. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
---. “High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (the Vest) | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.” Www.cff.org, 2023, www.cff.org/managing-cf/high-frequency-chest-wall-oscillation-vest. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
Elborn, Stuart. “The History, and the Future, of Cystic Fibrosis | Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.” Rbht.nhs.uk, 3 Dec. 2019, www.rbht.nhs.uk/blog/history-and-future-cystic-fibrosis. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
elsie. “Cystic Fibrosis: Global Clinical Trials Landscape and Treatments.” Clinical Trials Arena, Clinical Trials Arena, 24 May 2024, www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/sponsored/cystic-fibrosis-global-clinical-trials-landscape-and-treatments/. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.
Lomunova, M. A., and P. M. Gershovich. “Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis: Recent Advances and Future Prospects.” Acta Naturae, vol. 15, no. 2, 2023, pp. 20–31, https://doi.org/10.32607/actanaturae.11708.
News In Health. “Marvels of Mucus and Phlegm.” NIH News in Health, 27 July 2020, newsinhealth.nih.gov/2020/08/marvels-mucus-phlegm. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.