Genetic Engineering / Genetic Modification

1.Definition:
 Genetic engineering is the gene manipulation and alteration of genetic materials (DNA or RNA)
of an organism to create new combinations of genes.
 Involves the use of recombinant DNA techniques, but does not include traditional animal and
plant breeding or mutagenesis.

2.A’s:
 Any organism that is generated using genetic engineering is considered to be a genetically
modified organism.
 The first organisms genetically engineered were bacteria in 1973 and then mice in 1974.
 Insulin producing bacteria were commercialized in 1982 and genetically modified food has been
sold since 1994.

 Genetically engineered plants and animals capable of producing biotechnology drugs more
cheaply than current methods (called pharming) are also being developed and in 2009 the FDA
approved the sale of the pharmaceutical protein antithrombin produced in the milk of genetically
engineered goats.
 At the Roslin Institute in Scotland, scientists successfully cloned an exact copy of a sheep,
named 'Dolly'. This was the first successful cloning of an animal, and most likely the first occurrence of
two organisms being genetically identical. (Recently the sheep's health has deteriorated detrimentally)
 Scientists successfully manipulated the genetic sequence of a rat to grow a human ear on its
back. (Unusual, but for the purpose of reproducing human organs for medical purposes)
 April 2010: Farmers, environmentalists and consumers from all over Spain demonstrate in
Madrid under the slogan "GMO-free agriculture." They demand the Government to follow the example
of countries like France, Germany or Austria, and ban the cultivation of GM maize in Spain.
 Buy organic products – look for the Soil Association label.
 Avoid genetically engineered (GE) food, currently in products containing soya and maize.

3.Benefits of Genetic Engineering:

 Genetic engineering when used on microorganisms help in the creation of new pharmaceuticals which
cannot be made in any other way.
 Genetic engineering helps in the process of bioremediation which is the process of cleaning up waste
and pollution with the help of living organisms.
 Genetic engineering has helped lower the overall usage of herbicide and pesticide.
 Genetic engineering has helped with the production of vaccines and other drugs in plants.
 Genetic engineering has helped produce quicker and more predictable way of generating new cultivars.
Further, the cultivar properties are better known today than it was ever known before.
 Today, genetic engineering can produce sustainable agriculture.
 Genetic engineering has produced very useful genetically modified breeds which can tolerate factory
farming without any suffering.
 In humans, genetic engineering is used to treat genetic disorders and cancer. It also helps in supplying
new body parts.
 Although, this has not been done today, genetic engineering has the potential of creating new types of
human beings with many advantageous traits.
 The field of agriculture too greatly benefits from genetic engineering which has improved the genetic
fitness of various plant species. The common benefits are increase in the efficiency of photosynthesis,
increasing the resistance of the plant to salinity, drought and viruses and also reducing the plant’s need
for a nitrogen fertilizer.
 The pharmaceutical products available today are far superior to their predecessors. These new products
are created by cloning certain genes. Some of the prominent examples are the bio-engineered insulin
 which was earlier obtained from sheep or cows and the human growth hormone which was earlier
obtained from cadavers.
 In humans, the most promising benefit of genetic engineering is gene therapy which is the medical
treatment of a disease wherein the defective genes are repaired and replaced or therapeutic genes are
introduced to fight the disease. Over the past decade, many autoimmune and heart diseases have been
treated using gene therapy. Certain diseases like the Huntington’s disease, ALS and cystic fibrosis is
caused by defective genes. There is hope that a cure for such diseases can be found by either inserting
the corrected gene or modifying the defective gene. Eventually, the hope is to completely eliminate
genetic diseases and also treat non-genetic diseases with appropriate gene therapy.
 Disease could be prevented by detecting people/plants/animals that are genetically prone to certain
hereditary diseases, and preparing for the inevitable. Also, infectious diseases can be treated by
implanting genes that code for antiviral proteins specific to each antigen.
 Animals and plants can be 'tailor made' to show desirable characteristics. Genes could also be
manipulated in trees for example, to absorb more CO2 and reduce the threat of global warming.
 Genetic Engineering could increase genetic diversity, and produce more variant alleles which could
also be crossed over and implanted into other species. It is possible to alter the genetics of wheat plants
to grow insulin for example.

4.Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering:

 Nature is an extremely complex inter-related chain consisting of many species linked in the
food chain. Some scientists believe that introducing genetically modified genes may have an irreversible
effect with consequences yet unknown.
 Genetic engineering borderlines on many moral issues, particularly involving religion, which
questions whether man has the right to manipulate the laws and course of nature.
*** Additional Information:
An argument to follow my opinion is as follow. IVF procedure is highly wasteful of eggs, sperms and
embryos. Hundreds are needed for one successful implantation. Each and every one of the embryos have
a potential to be a full human beings. So, is it morally right for parents to kill the numerous amount of
unwanted embryos just because they do not qualify the parents' desire? Surely not. This treatment could
lead human beings to be egotistical and only care about one's self. In addition, Down's syndrome
children are often regards as a gift in their families. This special children are grateful of their lives and
they also propose opportunities for family members to learn and develop the skills and knowledge which
they might not developed previously. Also how the society that we live in changes its attitude as it
accepts those people with essential needs and disabilities.
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What's wrong with genetic engineering (GE)?
Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating
genes in a way that does not occur naturally.
These genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can spread through nature and interbreed with natural
organisms, thereby contaminating non 'GE' environments and future generations in an unforeseeable and
uncontrollable way.
Their release is 'genetic pollution' and is a major threat because GMOs cannot be recalled once released
into the environment.
Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied the right to know about GE ingredients in
the food chain, and therefore losing the right to avoid them despite the presence of labelling laws in
certain countries.
Biological diversity must be protected and respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our
world's fundamental keys to survival. Governments are attempting to address the threat of GE with
international regulations such as the Biosafety Protocol.
Closure:
GMOs should not be released into the environment since there is not an adequate scientific
understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.
We advocate immediate interim measures such as labelling of GE ingredients, and the segregation of
genetically engineered crops and seeds from conventional ones.
We also oppose all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on their genes. Life is not
an industrial commodity. When we force life forms and our world's food supply to conform to human
economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at our own peril.