Genetic engineering: Their new applications
Genetic engineering has numerous applications in very diverse fields, ranging from medicine to industry. For example, the insulin gene, which is usually only found in higher animals, can now be introduced into bacterial cells by genetic engineering. The bacteria can then reproduce in large quantities, constituting an abundant source of the so-called recombinant insulin, at a relatively low price. In this way, the production of insulin does not depend on the variable supply of animal pancreatic tissue. Another important application of genetic engineering is the manufacture of recombinant factor VIII, the coagulation factor absent in patients with hemophilia.
Almost all hemophiliacs that received factor VIII before the mid-1980s have contracted acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or hepatitis due to the viral contamination of the blood used to manufacture the product. Since then, selective detection of the presence of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and hepatitis C virus in blood donors has been carried out, and the manufacturing process includes steps that inactivate these viruses if they were present. The possibility of viral contamination is completely eliminated with the use of recombinant factor VIII. Other uses of genetic engineering are increased resistance of crops to diseases, the production of pharmaceutical compounds in the milk of animals, the production of vaccines, and the alteration of the characteristics of cattle.
The alteration of the genetic endowment also allows obtaining transgenic organisms, in which certain genes of interest have been introduced. Another technique related to genetic engineering is cloning, which supposes the extraction of the nucleus from an egg to replace it with the nucleus of another animal of the same species. Then, that egg is implanted in the uterus of another animal and, in this way, an animal genetically identical to the organism from which the original nucleus had been obtained is obtained. In February 1997, the news was made public that the first adult mammal had been cloned: a sheep, which they named Dolly. This discovery, which was a true biotechnological revolution, raised a great global controversy for its legal, moral and ethical implications.
** Genetic engineering risks
** While the potential benefits of genetic engineering are considerable, so are their risks, since they are often used as infectious microorganisms like viruses. For example, the introduction of cancer-producing genes in a common infectious microorganism, such as the flu-causing influenza virus, could be very dangerous.
Therefore, in most nations, experiments with recombinant DNA are under strict control, and those involving the use of infectious agents are only allowed under very restricted conditions. Another problem is that, despite the rigorous controls, some unforeseen effect may occur as a result of genetic manipulation. In fact, some environmental groups have expressed their distrust of the crops of transgenic plants in the fear that these new genes could be detrimental to human health, induced allergic responses or could even be introduced into related plant species.
