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Batch to batch consistency – With recombinant DNA the same gene can be produced over and over again meaning that the same gene can be constantly produced and will be identical to the gene before.
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. Genetic engineering has permitted:
Identification of mutations
People may have been tested for the presence of mutated proteins that may be involved in the progression of such things as breast cancer.
Diagnosis of affected and carrier states of hereditary diseases
Types of tests can be carried out to find if people are carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene, the Huntington’s disease gene and many other health threatening genes.
Mapping of human genes on chromosomes
Scientists can look at which part of the chromosomes produces certain mutations and diseases.
Transferring genes form one organism to another
People who suffer from many diseases such as cancer may now benefit from the ways in which gene therapy has progressed over several years by research going on to explore ways of recombinant DNA technology.
Isolation and alteration of genes
Once genes are altered, the protein will become more functional and of more use.
Isolation of large quantities of pure protein
The amount of recombinant products has grown dramatically over the last few years, with the use of insulin. Growth hormone and several others which can be used to produce high purity, and batch-to-batch consistency proteins.
Many people all over the world suffer from a lack of sugar in their body. Bovine and porcine insulin was used which was very similar to human insulin but then it was realised that many people produced anti bodies against this insulin which neutralised its actions. Another factor was that people had to constantly inject them selves for the rest of their lives with this insulin to keep them alive.
Then came research in to inserting the insulin gene into a suitable vector in the human. This would cause the E. coli bacteria cell, to produce an insulin which is chemically identical to its naturally produced counterpart.
This is an example of how recombinant DNA can be used to help people who have medical problems. With this system the human is producing a protein inside of them which will provide them constantly with insulin meaning that they don’t need to constantly take injections.
This way is not only saving the person with this defect time but will also make them physically and mentally more confident as they will know that every thing they do that the insulin will still be being produced inside their body to keep the level of sugar inside them at a suitable level.
It means that a person suffering form this defect can play sport and do what everyone else does without worrying that they may need to take and injection soon as their sugar level could be low. There are many worries of people with low sugar levels, as they always have to be keeping track of when their next injection must be taken and when they need to eat to keep their sugar level up.
Another example of when recombinant DNA is used is with the Growth hormone. Many people have this problem either hypo secretion of the growth hormone, which produces stunted growth in childhood, hyper secretion which leads to gigantism in childhood or hyper secretion in of the growth hormone leads to acromegaly in adults.
It was found that using recombinant DNA technology these problems could be overcome with humans.
Although being a great method of helping with theses problems people started wanting to use this technique on their children just because they wanted taller or shorted kids. I these cases the children had no problems at all but the parents were not happy with the height of their children at the moment.
This brings in a new aspect to look at to do with recombinant DNA technology. Although what I have written about above sounds really great because due to this new method many problems can be solved, many people may misuse this recombinant DNA.
Where would be the limit be to say who can get this treatment and who cant. Who will say if a person can get the treatment or not. Although the recombinant DNA seems the solution to many of our problems, the consequences have to be looked at first and for people to say why should some people be allowed to change and others not and in time to come when more is discovered who will have control over what happens.
People will have the power to change that they are in a genetic sense and nobody will be able to stop them. People will no longer be what they were supposed to be but just a genetically modified human being.
Where could a limit be drawn to say only certain things can be done using recombinant DNA and can only be used by certain people. Although it is a wonderful solution to a lot of disease it is also a way of changing the human gene and as time goes on the main question will always be when do we stop.
Maybe one day everybody will be a genetically modifies human being and their will no longer exist the human being as we know it today.
At the end of the day someone must decide if this process is going to carry on and if the answer is yes how far until the line is drawn.
Information found from:
Biology by Michael Roberts, Michael Reiss and Grace Monger
AS Biology by Bill Indge, Martin Rowland and Magraret Baker
Encarta Encyclopaedia
Britannica Encyclopedia
www.poetsrx.com
http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/rdna/rdnadir.html
http://molecularmedicine.com
