As all living creatures contain the same DNA but in different sequences, there is a huge possibility that using technology like the recombinant DNA, this can benefit them. Not only humans but also plants, sea creatures and insects.
With any technical advances new public policy needs arise. Recombinant DNA is an example of a technology that has created a large degree of debate in the public arena. Many people will agree and many will disagree so getting evidential advantages is a must.
This debate is:
- Emotional (ethical views of people, e.g. religious beliefs)
- Technically complex (technological applications)
- Sensitive because of the high value
The debate involves different issues that have the potential to affect public policy. These are:
- Economic benefits
- Academic/industrial relationships
- Government role in possible economic productivity
There are many advantages to this technology but as always there are also downsides.
The basis of recombinant technology is that DNA makes RNA and RNA makes protein.
- Recombinant technology begins with the isolation of a gene of interest. The gene is then inserted into a vector and cloned. A vector (carrier) is a piece of DNA that is capable of independent growth; commonly used vectors are bacterial plasmids and viral phages. The gene of interest (foreign DNA) is integrated into the plasmid or phage, and this is referred to as recombinant DNA.
- Before introducing the vector containing the foreign DNA into host cells to express the protein, it must be cloned. Cloning is necessary to produce numerous copies of the DNA since the initial supply is inadequate to insert into host cells.
- Once the vector is isolated in large quantities, it can be introduced into the desired host cells such as mammalian, yeast, or special bacterial cells. The host cells will then synthesize the foreign protein from the recombinant DNA. When the cells are grown in vast quantities, the foreign or recombinant protein can be isolated and purified in large amounts.
Recombinant DNA technology is not only an important tool in scientific research, but has also resulted in enormous progress in the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases and genetic disorders in many areas of medicine.
There are many ways in which this technology can help humans and human life;
For example production of insulin using bacterium cells, where the gene of interest, the insulin gene is cut out and paced in a plasmid which is placed in a harmless bacteria where production of protein (insulin takes place), advantages are that you can produce insulin in large quantities
Apart from helping just the human body it can also be used to help the animal kingdom;
