In the last twenty years, scientists discovered that DNA is interchangeable among animals, plants, bacteria, and other organisms. In addition to using traditional breeding methods of improving plants and animals through crossbreeding and selection, scientists in some cases can now transfer the genes that determine many desirable traits from one plant or animal to another. The transfer of DNA is done by various methods, such as direct injection of cells with DNA or literally shooting cells with DNA-covered particles from a special gun. Another widely-used method is to insert the DNA into specially modified bacteria or viruses that carry it into cells they infect. Such altered genetic material is referred to as recombinant DNA. The basis of recombinant DNA technology was established in the 70’s, with the discovery of several enzymes that enable DNA molecules to be cut, copied and joined. These enzymes include restriction endonucleases (type II), DNA ligase and reverse transcriptase.
The general process of transferring DNA from one organism to another is called genetic engineering. Almost any desirable trait found in nature can, in principle, be transferred into any chosen organism. A plant or animal modified by genetic engineering to contain DNA from an external source is called transgenic.
A genetically engineered product is one that was developed by modifying DNA in some way. The number of genetically engineered products is increasing rapidly. Genetic engineering is being used in the production of pharmaceuticals, gene therapy, and the development of transgenic plants and animals.
Pharmaceuticals:
Human drugs such as insulin for diabetics and tissue plasminogen activator for heart attack victims, as well as animal drugs like the growth hormones bovine or porcine somatotropin, are being produced by bacteria that have received the appropriate human, cow, or pig gene.
Gene Therapy:
Gene therapy is a new and experimental treatment. In gene therapy, a gene that is missing or is not functioning correctly is replaced with a correct gene.
The first successful gene therapy was used in 1990 to treat an immune system defect called ADA deficiency in children. Blood cells with normal ADA genes were injected into the patients' bodies where they produced enough normal cells to improve their immune systems. Today, gene therapy clinical trials are underway to treat diseases such as malignant brain tumors, cystic fibrosis, and HIV.
Transgenic Plants:
Transgenic plants that can tolerate herbicides, resist insects or viruses, or produce modified fruit or flowers are being grown and tested. Copies of genes for these traits have been transferred to the plants by genetic engineering techniques from other unrelated plants, bacteria, or viruses. Corn plants that produce an insecticidal protein to resist European corn borers and tomatoes that can ripen longer on the vine before shipping are examples of transgenic plants that have been developed.
Transgenic Animals:
Transgenic animals are designed to help researchers diagnose and treat human diseases. Several companies have designed and are testing transgenic mammals that produce important pharmaceuticals in the animal's milk. Products such as insulin, growth hormone, and tissue plasminogen activator that are currently produced by fermentation of transgenic bacteria may soon be obtained from the milk of transgenic cows, sheep, or goats.
There is a lot of focus on genetically engineered food. The reasons for this are very clear. Genetic engineering could make animals grow faster so that food can be made and given out faster. Animals could be modified so that they became meatier and therefore producing more food. The same could be done for plants, their cycle could be shortened so that they grow quicker and more often and to produce more yield. Also both animals and plants could be modified to be immune to many diseases. Also the food could be modified to be healthier for humans, e.g. contain antibodies so that we are more immune to illness. The possibilities are countless on what could be done to animals and plants to help them and to help us. However there are also bad points to this.
The most well known genetic experiment on animals was with Dolly the sheep. Dolly was a clone. However before they made Dolly there were many other sheep that didn’t make it and died before they were delivered or died short afterwards. So due to this ethical issues arise. The main one is, is genetically enhanced food bad for humans? Many people believe that this enhanced food my cause problems with humans and cause illness and disease and even mutations in later generations of human. However even if these problems are over come there are more issues from religions. Religions will have the argument that people are playing god and are disturbing gods and nature’s natural course. They feel that organisms should be aloud to take the natural route to evolution. However even after this issue is dealt with there are still more from animal rights authorities because of the testing that would need to be done on animals to get to the point where they can produce what they want easily.
I feel that the potentials of genetically modified organisms is huge so that many great things could be done by it. Animal’s posses lots of great traits that would be very beneficial in everyday human life. With the modification on organisms human modification will eventually come about through using the DNA of animals and placing into humans. For example, a newt can regenerate entire new limbs and eyes, if humans could do this there would be now problems with people who have had limbs amputated from accidents. The possibilities are endless they just new to find a way of transferring the DNA material from animals to humans. The potentials of genetic modification on animals and plants for food is also has great possibilities. Animals and plants could be made to grow faster and bigger to produce more food. Animals and plants could be designed to live in harsher conditions to help feed the third world countries that do not have much water. Another huge field of possibility is the production of vaccines for viruses and diseases from plants and animals. This also works the other way, animals and plants could be bread to be immune to certain viruses and diseases so that they don’t need things like antibiotics, this would then lower the cost of production for farms etc. and this would lead to cheaper food for the rest of the word in the long run. You can even go to the extremes of making animals systems more efficient, for example, making their digestive track more efficient at taking up food so that they don’t waste as much and not as much food is needed. Also all of these examples for animals and plants could be used to help humans too.
To conclude genetic modification has a great countless number of possibilities that could come out of it, however there are also bad things that could occur and so because of this there must be regulations and laws written to protect people. But I feel that the potential is huge and that genetic modification should happen.
Giles Walker.
