Genetic Engineering Advantages & Disadvantages

- Genetics and Evolution

During the latter stage stages of the 20th century, man harnessed the power of the atom, and not long
after, soon realised the power of genes. Genetic engineering is going to become a very mainstream part of
our lives sooner or later, because there are so many possibilities advantages (and disadvantages) involved.
Here are just some of the advantages :

 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 CO 2 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.

Of course there are two sides to the coin, here are some possible eventualities and disadvantages.

 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.

Genetic engineering may be one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent history alongside the discovery of
the atom and space flight, however, with the above eventualities and facts above in hand, governments
have produced legislation to control what sort of experiments are done involving genetic engineering. In
the UK there are strict laws prohibiting any experiments involving the cloning of humans. However, over
the years here are some of the experimental 'breakthroughs' made possible by genetic engineering.

 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. Note : 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)
 Most controversially, and maybe due to more liberal laws, an American scientist is currently
conducting tests to clone himself.

Genetic engineering has been impossible until recent times due to the complex and microscopic nature of
DNA and its component nucleotides. Through progressive studies, more and more in this area is being
made possible, with the above examples only showing some of the potential that genetic engineering
shows.

For us to understand chromosomes and DNA more clearly, they can be mapped for future reference.
More simplistic organisms such as fruit fly (Drosophila) have been chromosome mapped due to their
simplistic nature meaning they will require less genes to operate. At present, a task named the Human
Genome Project is mapping the human genome, and should be completed in the next ten years. 
The process of genetic engineering involves splicing an area of a chromosome, a gene, that controls a
certain characteristic of the body. The enzyme endonuclease is used to split a DNA sequence and split the
gene from the rest of the chromosome. For example, this gene may be programmed to produce an
antiviral protein. This gene is removed and can be placed into another organism. For example, it can be
placed into a bacteria, where it is sealed into the DNA chain using ligase. When the chromosome is once
again sealed, the bacteria is now effectively re-programmed to replicate this new antiviral protein. The
bacteria can continue to live a healthy life, though genetic engineering and human intervention has
actively manipulated what the bacteria actually is. No doubt there are advantages and disadvantages, and
this whole subject area will become more prominent over time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering-Clonnig

The development of technology has numerous effects on human life ranging from personal lifestyle to
academic success. However, there is another area, which is genetic engineering-cloning is affected by
technology. Although, there are opponents and proponents for improvement of this area, apparently, it has
some advantages and disadvantages.

The number of advantages of genetic engineering gradually increasing and two of which are finding new
treats for some diseases and providing suitable donors. First of all, today, there are some diseases that
cannot be fixed or whose ways of treatments are very hard. However, thanks to the genetic engineering,
now, new ways of treatments for some diseases like cancer, Alzheimer can be found. For instance; owing
to a study carried out on stem cells, scientists have found that stem cells can be easily altered into other
cells and therefore they endeavour to fix cancer with this way. Secondly, some scientists are cloning
animals so as to produce suitable donors. Which means, because of cloning people, who need organ
transplantation, can be cured. For instance, a kidney provided from a cloned pig, can be transplanted to
people.

Besides the advantages, there is a controversy in terms of ethical views because general usage of cloning
can also bring about some problems. First of all, if a person is cloned, it can pose a danger because when
people started to be cloned, human life will be devalued and there will be a discrimination between clones
and others. Secondly owing to cloning, all features of ones who will be cloned, are inherited and some
traits and illnesses resembled and which is not good. For instance; if a infertile family can try to have
baby through cloning, their diseases can be directly inherited their baby. Briefly, using cloning on people
is still a very controversial issue and has lots of problems.

In conclusion, development of genetic engineering-cloning is needed and it has some benefits for human
kind. However, the areas of usage cloning must be bewared to prevent some ethical and controversial
issues. In addition to this, using cloning on people must wait for deter some abuses and it is not
appropriate for today’s people and conditions due to the potential usage of cloning in a bad way.

Advantages of Genetic Engineering

Human Genetic Engineering

The first and one of the most prominent genetic engineering pros is that genetic disorders can be
prevented by identifying those genes which cause these diseases in people. The use of genetic engineering
to prevent diseases is called gene therapy. This can be extremely advantageous especially when women
screen their unborn babies for genetic defects. If there is a chance that the baby can have genetic defects,
it can prepare the mother and the doctors before and after the baby delivered. In advanced cases, those
problem genes can be corrected.
In addition to that, infectious diseases can be controlled and effectively dealt with by implanting genes
which code for the antiviral proteins particular to each antigen. Humans can be developed or formed to
reflect desirable characteristics. It is being said, theoretically though that this process can drastically
change human genomes. This would facilitate in helping people regrow their limbs and other organs. In
addition to this, people can be made faster, stronger and smarter, by using genetic engineering in the
future. In other cases, if a gene exists in nature which can be good for human beings, it can be ingested in
human cells. Soon a possibility of human cloning with the help of human genetics cannot be ruled out.

Animals and Plants

To start off with different crops, genetic engineering can culminate in alteration of the DNA structure of
the original crop. This will increase the growth rate of the plant along with its immunity, and resistance
towards diseases caused by pathogens and parasites. These factors in turn will be amongst the most
important benefits of genetic engineering when it comes to crops. These genetically modified foods could
increase the food resources and fewer sources would be needed to satisfy everyone's hunger. This would
be done by genetically modified crops for better productivity. These crops could be genetically modified
to resist pests, fight bacterial and fungal infections or have great nutritional value. Animal cloning for the
production of suitable donors is another of the umpteen genetic engineering advantages. The advantages
also include creation of plants to contain certain drugs by manipulating genes.

Amongst others, positive aspects of genetic engineering are important in the field of pharmaceuticals as
well. Pharmaceutical products better than their predecessors are being formed by cloning a number of
particular genes.

Applications of Genetic Engineering - Genetic engineering has wide, applications in modem

biotechnology. For various industrial processes, this technique may be used in microorganisms as well as
with higher organisms. The principle involved is the construction of plasmids of desired biochemical
characteristics.

Plasmid technology is being hailed by many as the beginning of modem industrial microbiology. The
plasmids are tiny ringlets of DNA, apart from the chromosome, that may contain 2-250 genes. They exist
autonomously in the cell. The plasmids can be spliced with genes from an unrelated organism. The genes
now function to produce the protein (of unrelated organism) in the cell of host microorganism. The
following are the chief possible applications:

(1) Plasmids of one bacterium may be spliced with genes from other bacterium. For example it is found
that plasmids of Pseudomonas will function in other Gram-negative bacteria as Escherichia, Proteus or
Rhizohium and those staphylococcal plasmids can be transferred to Bacillus subtilis cells, where they will
replicate and express themselves.

(2) Since microbial cells have a much higher metabolic rate, genes of desired enzymes (of commercial
values) could be introduced into plasmid of bacteria. For instance genes of amylase synthesis could be
derived from yeasts by introducing plasmid genes for amylase production. This would enhance the
process of beer fermentations. Similarly genes for cellulase synthesis could be incorporated into plasmids
of microbes. The resulting large scale cellulases could be utilised for cellulose degradation.

(3) Even nitrogen fertilisers may be eliminated by incorporating plasmids, containing bacterial genes for
nitrogen fixation into the plant cells.

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(4) Plasmid technology has shown that products like insulin, interferon, vaccines and human growth
hormones may be industrially possible. By 1984, over 200companies world over had established gene
splicing experiments, and working, on industrial applications of genetic engineering. One company in
1980 could harvest insulin from bacteria whose plasmids had been spliced with DNA for this protein.

The DNA was from chromosome number 11 of human cells, thus product was identical with human
insulin. Marketed by Eli Lilly Corporation, the bacterial insulin, humulin, is identical with human insulin.
In 1980, interferon was produced by genetic engineering from bacterial cells. By 1986, interferon from
engineered bacteria was being tested on rabies victims, common cold patients and cancer patients

Scientists have also inserted genes into bacteria for the production of human growth hormone. This
hormone is used to treat dwarfism. In 1986, the hormone became commercially available as protropin. In
June 1981, a vaccine for foot and mouth disease was developed by genetic engineering firm. There are
many other products derived from genetic engineering. Urokinase, a clot dissolving enzyme is produced
from genetically engineering bacteria. Endorphin, a pain killer is also derived from bacteria

Bacteria have also been engineered to live solely on toxic wastes in the environment. A gene for hair
digesting enzyme is inserted into plasmid of bacteria. There are also attempts to engineer plants with
bacterial genes that trap N2 and convert it to a form that could be easily taken by the plant. Yeasts are
being engineered to yield enzymes for cheese industry.