Genetic Engineering Concepts and Applications

Genetic engine room Concepts and ApplicationsKIZITA BADU-POKUGENETIC ENGINEERINGGenetic engineering has developed at a very dramatic rate. It was pioneered in 1973 by Stanley Chen and Herbert Boyer. They invented the technique of deoxyribonucleic acid cloning, which all(a)(prenominal)owed genes to be transplanted between different biological species. Their discovery signalled the birth of inheritable engineering. As a result Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen received half million dollars for their efforts in invention and innovation. They further founded Genentech,Inc where Herbert Boyer became the director. Dunne and Eisenbeis (1969).Genetic Engineering involves extracting DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from one existence and combining it with that of approximately separate beingness to produce new hereditary traits to the organism receiving the donors DNA. It has been employ for so many a nonher(prenominal) different purposes much(prenominal) as manipulation of embryos and cloning, Dunne and Eisenbeis (1969). In the field of puppet science, recombinant protein in the rebound of familialally engineered bacteria is being employ to increase milk business in lactating cows. Eennaam(2008).Commercial companies are deriving therapeutic proteins, much(prenominal) as monoclonal antibodies, from the milk of transgenic cows, goats, rabbits, and mice, and using them to administer drugs in treatment protocols for rheumatoid arthritis, crowd outcer, and other autoimmune disorders.Glenn(2013).For example, mice excite been employ in catching engineering for biological and biomedical look for and have generated a part of vital information about human diseases.Alzheimers and eye diseases have been bio medically researched through transgenic animals including livestock species.It has also been extensively used to study animal diseases notably mad cow disease,Eennaam(2008).Genetically modified crops have used to produce vaccines and other medicates. For exam ple, potatoes have been modified to produce edible vaccines against E. coli bacteria which causes diarrhoea.This allow cheap and easy distri justion of the vaccine,Bio morals (2014).Crops stop be patrimonialally modified to contain additional nutrients that are lacking in the diets of many people, especially in developing countries. One of the examples is G darkeneden rice, which has been modified to have high level of -carotene. -carotene helps to clog vitamin A deficiency. This disease causes child blindness and it affects 14 million children under the age of five according to Nuffield council on bioethics( ).A research says that half of the cotton heavy(p) in china in 2002 was familialally modified.This was done to kill the pests (bollworm) that devastates the cotton crops. Before because farmers used to apply toxins by spraying the cotton crops which caused a luck of health issues for the farmers who often applied the pesticides without any protective clothes on. The d erive of this modified cotton was a reduction of pesticides use, increase in yields and value and good health benefits for the farmers,Bioethics (2014).Furthermore, diseases, poor hold conditions could affect yields in crops. For example, during the winter, to the highest degree crops cannot be grown in larger quantities due to poor weather conditions. Therefore genetically modified crops would be beneficial in this case.In addition to all these benefits, genetic engineering can be used to save endangered species such as the American Chestnut tree, which is presently being repopulated by Chinese-American chestnut hybrids- specifically engineered with a genetic bulwark to the chestnut blightthe deadly fungus that n beforehand(predicate) decimated native populations in the early 1900s,Glenn (2013).Researchers from Cornell University created a genetically modified human embryo which is believed to be the introductory modification of a human embryo. Through their research, the sci entists said that modified embryos could be used to research human disease. If these embryos were allowed to developed, it can be used passed to prevent diseases. It might also be used for other reasons such as physical appearance, intellectual prowess and personality enhancements,Keim(2004).Below shows a plot of the first genetically modified human embryoSource http//www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/the-first-genet/ overly one of the areas where genetic engineering has been used is in cloning. Its the influence of producing similar population of genetically identical organisms. Cloning has been used in plants, animals and human cells and tissues. One benefit of cloning human tissue is that it can be used to grow vital organs, which can be used to replace ailing organs. One example is the heart disease, if the heart of a patient becomes dysfunctional, an exact replica can simply be grown to replace it through cloning. Department of science and technology (2014)In 1997, bionic c loning was used to clone dolly the sheep, it was the first cloned animal. Producing animals that are genetically engineered can provide human products such as insulin or organs for transplant. Cloning animals can also be used for research purposes and to obey basic knowledge about cell differentiation, BBC (2014).Genetic engineering is a testament of advances that science has do in bioengineering. Although the benefits to genetic engineering cannot be ignored it carries with it some controversies and misgivings about how the sick should be treated and how research should be conducted.Risks, safety and ethics has been at the forefront of these debates leading to a whole discipline of Bioethics,Bryant(2007).Ethical theories in genetic engineering involves recommending concepts of what is remunerate and haywire and also basing it on moral diversity. In all what is unspoilt in ones culture might be wrong in another and vice versa. There are different types of honest theories uti leism, blank space ethics, discourse ethics and many others,Wikipedia (2014)Utilitarianism broadly supports the general benefit and not just the treatment and prevention of diseases. In the field of genetics, utilitarianism supports genetic examen, genetic selection of offspring that will lead to optimal benefits, gene therapy and genetic enhancement, Savulescu and Birks(2012).Savulescu and Birks (2012) outlined the following according to utilitarianism, an execute is right if, and only(prenominal) if it maximises well-being utilitarianism entails that it is morally required to kill an innocent person if it promotes general well-being for a utilitarian, allowing a person to die or have got when that could have been avoided is just as bad as directly inflicting poor or killing the individual.Situation ethics is a moral finding based on love which means desiring and acting to promote wellbeing of the individual or persons multiform, Barn (2011).Moral popular opinions are d ecisions, not conclusions and decisions ought to be made situationally not prescriptively. In making these decisions the well-being of people, rather than love principles should suffice, BBC website archives. deal ethics is a communication centered framework where all the opinions of impulsive participants are equally important.Stasbury,(2009),outlined the following in this ethics the principle of abstract entity serves as a rule of argumentation which assumes that all participants involved in the discourse are rational, and able to reach the same reasonable judgment while accepting the consequences and side effects that may arise for ecstasy of all affected individuals interests, only norms that are considered moral by all affected participants, and those involved in the discourse will be sham valid.Churches and ethicists have various opposing views about what is right or not. both(prenominal) churches like the Catholics, has publicly supported the adult and umbilical cord gr oundwork cell research and the church leaders were the first to applaud the discovery of the amniotic stem cells and to ask for further research. The church moreover opposes the embryonic stem cell because the preparation of the stem cells destroys the embryo which is against their beliefs and they view it as gravely immoral,(Peter Baron, march 2011).Consider the case of Euthanasia which involves the deliberate action to end or assist in ending the life of another person on compassionate grounds,Lavery et al,1997.Is Euthanasia morally right or wrong ?What will be the logical judgments of a utilitarian, a situation ethicist and a proponent of discourse ethics?A utilitarian will be a proponent of euthanasia as presbyopic as it will help relieve the patient of unbearable damage or in that respect is no hope medically for the terminally ill. In the case of situation ethics the conclusion of euthanasia can be twofold the situation would be assessed on its merit, if there is a guess of prolonging life for a considerable length of time then a case may be made against euthanasia where as if there is no hope medically then a case could be made in favour of euthanasia.Proponents of discourse ethics may not reach any practical conclusion on euthanasia as there could be varying opinions on the case at hand.Pro-life participants in the group will object outright the idea of deliberate death. Because all opinions in a discourse ethics must be see they may not be any consensual agreement on the decisions.All three ethical theories can lead to three contradicting views however it can help provide a guiding framework for genetic engineering. Genetic Engineering has played a vital role in industrial biotechnology, agriculture and medicine but it also has its risks as well.In Agriculture, GM crops could compete or breed wild species which threatens biodiversity. Also some genes may escape and find their way into other members of the species or other species. Example is if herbicide-resistant genes found their way into weeds.Makula (2014).Also in medicine, drug testing on participants is still very crucial because lives are always at risk. As stated on US National depository library of medicine website, where an issue has generated a considerable debate since 1999, when an 18 year old Jesse Gelsinger died while he participated in a gene therapy trial at the University of Pennsylvania. It goes to show that with all the advances the world of science is making in genetic engineering it also carries with it a lot of risks.ConclusionIt is obvious that genetic engineering presents both challenges and opportunities. In view of the various ethical issues involved in genetic engineering, there should be the need to understand beliefs and doctrines as this allows coexistence within and across societies, and prevents social conflict. A technologys word sense should not only be on technological soundness but on how it is perceived to be socially, politically, e conomically and morally feasible from the stand of the wider confederation. An discernment of ethics helps determine what information is needed by society and how to deal with different opinions, Pockect K.No18 (2006).God has given humankind a assign to care for the earth and its resources, utilising them wherever feasible for the good of others, noted Bryant(2007).There is a case for the use of genetic engineering in our world, ethics can define the limits of what should be acceptable for the greater good for the wider society.ReferencesDunne and Eisenbeis(1969).Genetic Engineering. Available from http//inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blgenetic.htm Accessed 28th, revered,2014Eenennam(2008).Genetically Engineered Animals An Overview.Available fromhttp//animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Genetically_engineered_animals_overview.pdfAcessed 1st, September, 2014Dunne and Eisenbeis(1969).Genetic Engineering. Available from http//inventors.about.com/library/invento rs/blgenetic.htm Accessed 28th, August,2014Eenennam(2008).Genetically Engineered Animals An Overview.Available fromhttp//animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Genetically_engineered_animals_overview.pdfAcessed 1st, September, 2014Glenn (2013). Action Bioscience. Available from http//www.actionbioscience.org/biotechnology/glenn.htmlAccessed 3rd, September, 2014Eenennam(2008).Genetically Engineered Animals An Overview.Available fromhttp//animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Genetically_engineered_animals_overview.pdfAcessed 1st, September, 2014Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2014).Benefits of GM Crops. Available from http//nuffieldbioethics.org/report/gm-crops-developing-countries-2/benefits-gm-crops-developing-countries/ Accessed28th, August, 2014Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2014).Benefits of GM Crops. Available from http//nuffieldbioethics.org/report/gm-crops-developing-countries-2/benefits-gm-crops-developing-countries/ Accessed28th, August, 2014Glenn (2013) . Action Bioscience. Available from http//www.actionbioscience.org/biotechnology/glenn.htmlAccessed 3rd, September, 2014Keim (2008).First Genetically limited Human Embryo. 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