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Have breakthroughs in DNA research led to more harm than good?
Results so far:
| No | 75% | 639 votes | Total: 849 votes | |
| Yes | 25% | 210 votes |
No
by Sarah Parrish
Created on: March 27, 2009
DNA research, in itself, is neither good nor bad. It's a tool. It's like asking if a hammer is good or bad. A hammer is good for pounding in nails and bad drilling in screws. Nevertheless, I think we can agree that having the option to use a hammer if the solution to a problem calls for a hammer is a good thing. The same can be said about DNA research.
In neuroscience, for example, we can take a segment of DNA coding for a gene, let's say a green fluorescent protein (GFP) produced in nature by a jellyfish, and transfect this plasmid into cultured neurons. The neuron will start expressing GFP and we can then see it under a fluorescent lamp under a microscope and see a living neuron in its entirety. We can watch it grow and change under different drug conditions and learn a great deal in basic research about the fundamentals of how neurons function. In cell cultures we can even transfect DNA sequences to raise the expression of molecules, ion channels, for example to learn more about how those ion channels work.
A common way of studying molecules in cell culture is to knock out the molecule entirely or to overexpress it, both of which are techniques involving DNA research. Even in creating transgenic lines of mice we can study glowing cells or over-expressed or knocked out molecules, all made possible because of our understanding of how DNA functions in the body.
DNA gets transcribed into mRNA and tRNA translates the code replicated in mRNA into amino acids and proteins are produced. RNA interference (RNAi) takes advantage of an innate molecule called the DICER complex which degrades mRNA before it can be read as a template for creating more protein. RNAi is a way we have of knocking down endogenous genes and our ability to use this technique is due to DNA research. It takes advantage of a natural process and allows us to study proteins expressed in cell cultures that we wouldn't otherwise be able to knock down. This is a fundamental technique used across different fields of study. This simple concept alone, based on previous DNA research allows us to learn more about infinite biological processes than we otherwise would. Again, it's a tool. It's a very powerful tool and it's good to have the option to use it.
We have already made significant breakthroughs taking advantage of simple concepts like how bacteria can replicate DNA and even produce proteins from it. Insulin for diabetics, for example is produced by prokaryotes because of DNA transfection techniques.
If gene therapy turns out to be a cure for cancer or perhaps, more straightforwardly, a cure for Fragile-X syndrome or congenital heart defects, how can we even consider turning a blind eye to such a positive possibility? It's up to us not to use research of any kind, DNA-based or otherwise, for harm. DNA research can do so much good. It already has.
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Yes
by Dan Mason
Created on: September 19, 2007
Mankind has taken it upon itself the role of god. He has split the Atom, traveled in space and the seas. But there is no area as dangerous to man as man himself. Elite Scientist seeing no limit to their work and having no God to answer to, have ventured into the human genome. Man with his ability to analyzed and manipulate human DNA has discovered that he is a little god in a big world.
In this research mankind has run across the mutations that cause many monogenic diseases. With this knowledge scientist have identified its carriers. Scientists now can diagnose most of these diseases pre-natally by chorionic villus sampling, that is the removing and genetically analyzing a tiny amount of tissue from round the fetus between 9 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. This technique allows Doctors to diagnosis the disease and gives the mother the option to terminate the pregnancy if the unborn child has a severe condition.
Mankind may soon have the power to correct genetic disease or alter life at the cell level. This power could be used to treat cancer or other acquired diseases. The treatment of single-gene disorders can, in principle, be approached by either germ-cell gene therapy, that is when a good' gene is injected into a fertilized egg and is therefore distributed among all the cells of the growing young body or somatic-cell therapy, and that is when the gene is inserted into a particular cell population in the body of one individual, an example of that would be the use of the stem cells of bone marrow.
This all looks promising to most. For germ cell gene therapy offers the prospect of eliminating disease from a family for all future generations. Some would press on without weighting the risks. But there are risks of making damaging errors to the genes using the germ-cell gene therapy.
In transgenesis, Human genes can be inserted into cultured cells or whole animals. This process can be used to produce molecules that have therapeutic value. For instance, insulin to treat diabetes or clotting factors to treat hemophilia are good examples.
Many in the scientific world see a bright future for genetics. There is a belief in the scientific world that most of a person's mental achievements, personality traits, and behavior can be explained by their genetic make-up. Some fear that this could lead to the possible resurgence of the eugenics movement. This is a philosophy for the betterment' of mankind by selective breeding. This movement was in operation in the United States well into the 1970's.
We must ask ourselves how far will these super scientist go with this new acquired god like power. How will they shape our destiny. With this god-like power over nature, what will man create. For we know that they can and do changed species and create new ones. Animals and plants under their control are given entirely new characteristics by simply transferring the genes of one species into another. Plants and animals are being grown faster and bigger. How does this effect the environment and our health. And why has the government allowed these scientist that are back by global corporations to ignore safety issues in their headlong pursuit of creating a new animal, plant and human species. I say for the love of money.
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