The second method involves blasting genes with a pressurized gun filled with helium (Glausisus,1996). The helium gun will fire very small gold bullets which will be coated with the genetically altered genes. This technique was done on mice that had tumors. The gold bullets coated with the altered genes were shot at the skin of the mice that surrounded the tumors. The cells that were successful in receiving the altered genes code for cytokines that activate immune cells (Glausisus,1996). By the activation of the immune cells, they hope the tumors will decrease. This study was done at Northwestern University by Wen Sun and colleagues. They found out by shooting the mice three to five times a day, there was a significant decrease in the size of the tumors and an increase life span for the treated mice compared to the control mice (Glausisus,1996). By using the gene bullets the genes are not permanently in the cells of the mice but the effects ware off in a few days to a few weeks. This may be an advantage or a disadvantage.
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