There are
many advantages of genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). There are also a number of drawbacks to allowing scientists to break
down barriers to genetically modified organisms. Here are the most important
points to keep in mind.
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| Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering |
What is Genetic
Engineering?
Genetic
engineering is the process of using recombinant DNA technology to alter an
organism's characteristics in a particular way.
Genetic engineering, or
genetic modification is a modern scientific term used for the technique of
dealing with the genetic material located on the chromosomes, inside the DNA
tape in the body of an organism, whether it is a person, an animal, or a plant,
or microorganisms such as bacteria.
Genetic modification is
done by isolating a gene or transferring it to another organism to produce a hybrid organism that has desirable traits.
The first synthetic
genetic modification using biotechnology was accomplished by Herbert Boyer and
Stanley Cohen in 1973. The first process of genetic engineering was carried out
on bacteria through which insulin was produced, and then continued experiments
to include all organisms.
Today, we can integrate
new genes from a single species into a completely unrelated one through genetic
engineering, improving agricultural performance or facilitating the production
of valuable pharmaceuticals.
Advantages and
Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering may be
one of the greatest breakthroughs of the modern era. There are many advantages
of genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There are
also several disadvantages and plausible risks that must be considered. Here
are the most important points to keep in mind.
Advantages of Genetic
Engineering
Genetic engineering, also
called genetic modification, has many benefits in our lives. It is used in
medicine, animal husbandry, industry, and agriculture, and in solving the
pollution problem.
In Medicine:
Gene engineering has
helped discover many genetic diseases, their causes, and methods of treating
them. It also helps to produce many medical hormones such as growth hormone and
insulin, in addition to making and modifying vaccinations in order to reduce
its side effects on the human body.
Production of vaccines
against some types of diseases: such as viral hepatitis, herpes simplex
disease, and foot-and-mouth disease in animals.
Production of insulin from bacteria: The commercial production of insulin from
bacteria began in 1982 AD, and this is an important achievement that saved the
lives of many people, as it was previously dependent on extracting insulin from
the pancreas of pigs and cows, which is an expensive process and is not without
side effects for patients such as Allergy.
Production of lymphokines:
Lymphokines are proteins that regulate the work of the immune system in the human body, including: interferon-alpha protein, which is used to fight viral
diseases, such as: colds, hepatitis, herpes, as well as cancer, in addition to
interleukin-2. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a type of cytokine signaling molecule in the immune system that regulates the activities of white blood
cells that are responsible for immunity.
Production of
Somatostatin: Somatostatin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus in the
human brain that regulates the action of growth hormone.
Previously, somatostatin
was obtained from human cadavers, but genetic engineering technology provided
the world with sufficient quantities of this hormone, which is used to treat
people with developmental abnormalities, and it is also used to treat the
immune deficiency disease known as adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA
deficiency).
Production of
erythropoietin: Erythropoietin is an essential hormone that stimulates the
production of red blood cells in people with severe anemia.
Production of antibodies: Antibodies contain radioactive elements or cell toxins to treat cancer. Genetic engineering also produces substances that dissolve blood clots and prevent arteries from blocking to prevent heart attacks.
In Agriculture:
Genetic engineering
increases the productivity of agricultural crops, increasing their resistance
to disease, heat and moisture, and reducing their need for fertilizers.
- It produces crops that can
fix nitrogen in the atmosphere, so they don't need fertilizer.
- It produces agricultural
crops capable of producing proteins that are toxic to insects and worms, such
as: tomato worms and tobacco worms.
- It produces agricultural
crops that are not affected by harmful herbicides, such as: glyphosate, which
enables the farmer to spray the entire field with glyphosate, without damaging
the crop.
- It produces several types
of microorganisms that break down toxic chemicals, and can be used to get rid
of insect pests and disease-causing organisms.
- It improves plants'
ability to photosynthesize.
- It improves the quality
and quantity of seed protein content.
- It transfers the animal
protein-producing gene to plants.
In Industry:
Genetic engineering
produces genetically modified organisms that can convert sucrose into glucose.
– It produces inexpensive
agricultural fertilizers from ammonia produced by genetically modified bacteria
and cyanobacteria.
– It produces microbes that
have the ability to convert cellulose into sugar, which can be used later to
produce ethanol.
– It monitors the efficiency
of the decomposition of garbage, petroleum products, naphthalene, and other
industrial wastes using genetically modified bacteria that produce light
proportional to the amount of waste analyzed.
In Animal Husbandry:
Genetic engineering has
been used in the field of genetic modification of animals. The aim of this use
is to produce genetically modified animals that meet human needs in various
products and forms.
– Genetic engineering
introduces some genes to animals, as these genes fight viruses and infections.
– Increases the speed of
their growth, by providing them with the fast growth hormone gene.
– Produces vaccines for
diseases that affect the animal, especially poultry.
– Works on converting their
waste into organic fertilizer, by using genetically modified bacteria.
– Protects endangered
species.
In Solving the Pollution
Problem
Genetically modified
microorganisms can be engineered to undertake the process of decomposition of
complex materials.
Plastic pollution is a big
problem all over the world. This is most visible in developing Asian and
African nations. A lot of plastics are used to transport items from the
supermarket, and most food packaging is not biodegradable.
Plastics pose threats to
creatures in the sea. Marine animals are facing extinction due to the
threat posed by plastic as a result of both ingestion and entanglement.
It is usually impossible
to permanently dispose of these materials after use so they remain in the
environment for too long. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be designed
to eat up these unwanted plastic wastes, by breaking up their particles and
devouring them, and this process is called biological treatment.
What are the Disadvantages
of Genetic Engineering?
There are a number of
drawbacks to allowing scientists to break down barriers that are perhaps best
left untouched. Here are some of these disadvantages:
⇒ Genetically modified crops
and foods pose a major risk to human health, for example, toxins from the
crops have been detected in some people’s blood.
⇒ Genetic engineering
increases the cost of farming and is more inclined towards commercializing
agriculture that operates at unethical profits.
⇒ Genetic engineering is a
technology that can be easily abused. DNA insertion could be used to create
severe problems for certain groups of people.
⇒ Genetic engineering leads
to the mixing of cell lineages, and as a result of the IVF process, eggs
produced by women may be fertilized with sperm from unknown people.
⇒ The errors resulting from
genetic engineering cannot be corrected, for example, they may result in the
production of dangerous germs or viruses that may spread in the environment and
cannot be eliminated.
⇒ Genetic engineering may
create difficult legal liabilities with unintended consequences and may have
negative consequences when interacting with other species.
⇒ The purpose of genetic
engineering is to produce plants and animals with higher nutritional values but
there is no guarantee that the result will correspond to what has been
envisioned.
⇒ Genetic engineering may
create plants and animals with mutations or birth defects that can damage the
species.
⇒ Genetic engineering
results in some new strains of living things that may disrupt the ecosystem on
Earth.
⇒ Genetic engineering only
prolongs the resilience effect and it limits the amount of diversity available.
⇒ The overproduction of GM foods will become ineffective over time because the pests that these toxins used to deter may eventually develop resistance to them.