What is Gene Therapy?

Doesn't anyone prof read anymore?  The correct spelling is "jean", although Levis would work also. 

To understand this concept it is important to understand the history of jeans.  In the 1850's Levi Strauss started marketing jeans to miners with rivets at seams where 3 or more pieces of fabric were sewn together.  He called his first edition 400 origionals.  He then added a fifth pocket and called them 500s.  If you look at your crotch, or just imagine you are if you are not wearing jeans, you will see that 4 pieces of cloth are joined together.  In the 400 and 500 series there was a rivet there.  However, sitting around the campfire the rivet would heat up, and the miners didn't appreciate the burns on the nearby anatomical features.  As a result the rivet was removed and Mr. Strauss called the new model 501.  I own a pair of them, they are still good jeans.

Now days it is popular to sell jeans that are "distressed" or "destroyed" depending on who is marketing them.  These jeans last for upwards of 5 wears before they become so ratty they look like they were stolen from a hobo.  With a price tag of $100 or more for some pairs I will let you decide who is robbing whom.

New jeans in this condition go against everything that the originals were designed to be, durable.  Obviously these articles of clothing are in need of therapy.  And so "Jean Therapy" was created to help these jeans learn to cope with their degraded self worth. 

Psychiatry has thus far been unable to assist these oppressed items; so real science was turned to, and renamed it "Gene Therapy," trying to be cool with the alternate spelling, like phat, or pwned.  Lets face it however, that is lame; I won't give in.

The scientists turned to viruses to treat the jeans.  The viruses deliver DNA to the denim which causes the jeans to mutate, just like Spiderman.  But the jeans do not gain any special abilities, they just learn to cope with their disappointment at being pieces of crap.  This is done by using DNA coding for "happy proteins" like serotonin. 

The use of a retroviral vector will lead to a permanent change in the genome of the denim, but can lead to cancer.  Adenoviruses are also good choices, but they don't last as long. 

Non-Viral means of jean therapy are also gaining traction.  However, these tend to be less efficient than the viruses.  This can lead to uneven levels of "happy" on the jeans.  This can lead to embarrassing situations if say only one front pocket winds up happy.

I hope this answers your question, keep the questions coming.