h a l f b a k e r yPoof of concept
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Somehow genetically engineer or breed a leech that while it "feeds" on its diabetic host, it also provides a service, such as making insulin that it can inject into its host, or even just being there as a pincushion for frequent blood tests.
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Ooh, them first three words, mhh5... |
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Leeches suck, not inject. |
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OK!! let's have leeches that do blood tests! just feed them with the appropriate reagent first & they can change color. Most leeches are completely painless to the victim. |
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This is not a bad idea per se, and didn't
deserve the initial fishbones. |
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Plants and animals can be genetically
modified to produce anitbodies and other
complex molecules. This has been
demonstrated. |
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Leeches do inject a highly efficient anti-
coagulant into their hosts. |
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It is therefore possible to envisage a
genetically modified leech that incorporates
a medication into its saliva, and produces it
in inordinate qualntities. |
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Quid pro quo. The leech gets a blood meal;
the host gets freshly-synthesised medication. |
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Leeches are already bred and used in sterile
conditions for cosmetic surgery purposes. |
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I'm not sure I'd call the celebrity world "sterile", though one would hope. |
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The unfortunate leeches are microbiologically
sterile; it's the celebrities that are usually
poisonous … |
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