Genetic Engineering: Applications, Benefits, and Societal Implications

This report delves into the realm of genetic engineering, defining the process of modifying an organism's genetic makeup and its integral role in advancing scientific understanding and improving human life. It explores various techniques like gene targeting and recombinant DNA technology. The report highlights the applications of genetic engineering in healthcare, food & agriculture, and animal husbandry, emphasizing the benefits such as disease treatment, improved crop yields, and enhanced animal products. It also discusses the influence of ethical, economic, and societal factors on the development and use of genetic engineering, along with potential risks and benefits, as well as the impact on environmental sustainability and the ethical considerations of genetic modification. The report concludes by underscoring the importance of genetic engineering in various sectors and its impact on the lives of people.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................1
EXPLANATION.............................................................................................................................2
DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The genetic engineering refers to a process which includes the criteria of modifying
genetic make up of particular organism. Science as a human endeavour includes several concepts
which make human capable to improve understanding and explanations to natural world. It also
involves certain effective uses of science which helps to people for making their life better (Bian
and et. al., 2012). Present research paper is based on the topic of genetic engineering with
relevant biological concepts along with an interaction between science and society. It also
involves discussion of potential impacts on several factors like quality of life, development,
social, economic and influence human activities.
BACKGROUND
The genetic engineering have an important role as it fight against diseases and improve
food or agricultural field. There are various kinds of methods that are used by specialist such as
gene targeting, nuclear transplantation, transfection of synthetic chromosomes or viral insertion.
Thus, all of these techniques are utilised to conduct a gene manipulation that involves genetic
make up of cells including transfer of genes within or across species boundaries to produce
improved or novel organisms. There are various kinds of aspects of genetic engineering through
which it provide support to lives of children living in society.
Genetic engineering can be described as procedure of transferring specific genes from the
chromosomes to one organism and transplanting them into new one species. The new produced
species are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the bacteria Names as E. coli is
termed as genetic engineer. It includes basic criteria of manually adding new DNA to an
organism and this process produces resulting recombinant DNA which involves several steps:
Firstly, it includes that desired DNA cleaved from donating chromosome by action of
restriction enzymes which recognize and cut specific nucleotide segments having two sticky ends
(STICKEL and et. al., 2018). These restriction enzymes also splice receiving chromosome in a
complementary location, again leaving “sticky ends” to receive the desired DNA. Secondly, the
required DNA fragment is inserted into a vector which is generally a plasmid for transfer to
receiving chromosome. Plasmids are known as ideal vector as they replicate easily. Thus, it is
circular DNA molecules found in cytoplasm of bacteria that make bond with desired DNA
fragment with help of joining enzyme known as DNA ligase. Additionally, when host cell
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reproduces then inside plasmid also reproduce making multiple clones of their DNA. Last but
not the least, to recover the desired DNA, present technology is all about to screen unwanted
cells from mixture the utilise gel electrophoresis for separating remaining genes by movement on
an electric grid.
In current scenario, cloning of recombinant DNA is done through an appropriate
technology with help of an enzyme called as reverse transcriptase. Thus, it acts as an opposite of
normal transcriptase in which it uses RNA to code for DNA which is also found in virus linked
to AIDS (Kittleson, Wu and Anderson, 2012). This is a kind of more advanced method of
producing DNA clones uses enzyme reverse transcriptase and mRNA having several steps that
provide support to create pure segment of desired genes. Initially, mRNA is made by a selected
cell particularly for its genetic characteristics. Furthermore, mRNA splices out the interons.
Meanwhile, mRNA is isolated and used as a template with reverse transcriptase to make the
complementary DNA. Apart from this, the DNA product therefore contains only the desired
DNA segment and the host cell will continue to produce the product.
EXPLANATION
There are various kinds of scientific techniques which are useful or beneficial for
children living in society as they can make their lives easier along with gaining more
comfortability in daily routine. Science is broad field which has various branches having several
benefits for human being. In current scenario, there are various aspects of life in which scientific
sections are helpful to chidren. Now, genetic engineering provide support to produce several
modified crops which results into many of profits in agriculture. Moreover, it facilitates to make
possible to produce more crops in a shorter time period and many more benefits are gained by
the same technique (Wool and Sun, 2011).
According to Margaret Cunningham, there are various kinds of applications of genetic
engineering such as heal care, food & agriculture and animal husbandry. It has different benefits
for human beings in several areas to make regular routine life more comfortable. Children can be
remain safe from several heredity health issues or other disease.
Use of genetic engineering in society
Health care: In case of health care, genetic engineering is helpful to children so that they
maintain lifestyle without fear of AIDS or cancer which facilitates to improve well being of
society tremendously. It is used in problems of cystic fibrosis, the "bubble boy" disease,
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diabetes, and several more. The technique of recombinant DNA is helpful to to make series of
medical products such as insulin and human growth hormone which are cultured in E. coli
bacteria. Some of other medicines are Tumor Necrosis Factor use in Treatment for certain
tumour cells, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) for Cancer treatment, immune deficiency & HIV infection
medication, Prourokinase for heart attacks, Taxol preferred in diagnosis of ovarian cancer and
Interferon in cancer & viral infections (Zalabák and et. al., 2013).
Food and agriculture: in food and agriculture industry, recombinant DNA plays an
important role as there are around 25 countries which grow genetically engineered crops like
corn, soybean & cotton on approximately 420 million acres of land at global level. It includes to
make make plants resistant to pesticides or herbicides. Moreover, such crops become tolerant to
disease, salty soils, drought prone fields, delayed ripening, increase rate of photosynthesis to take
advantage of limited sunlight along with improving overall yields. Thus, it results into less use of
pesticides or fertilizers that results into low harm for natural environment. For example, isolation
of Ti plasmid from tumour inducing (Ti) bacteria which is founded in soil which easily attached
to plant DNA and then transferred into fruits and flowers.
Animal husbandry: In includes to make a hybrid progeny through fusion of two
beneficial traits which are extracted from different species for desired purpose. Thus, it is done
for more milk production, getting better quality of eggs and many more. Moreover, it is
beneficial for getting cheap and rapid means of generating desired enzymes, other proteins,
increased production of meat, wool or other animal products through natural functions. The
hybrid progenies can involves examples of Mule, Hinny, Zebroids etc.
Use and direction of science can also be influenced by several factors such as ethics,
economics, cultural and personal and societal needs. Thus, due to these elements various kinds of
scientific progress and discoveries takes place with desired resultant to support regular life of
children. In contrary to this, it can also influence a public debate because genetic engineering and
other concepts of science are helpful to human being but at the same time terror communities can
abuse such techniques for terrorism and it may results into biological war (Wang and et. al.,
2013).
DISCUSSION
Further development of biological science can be done by improving more effectiveness
of genetic engineering in health care sector which provide support to medical professionals for
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solving relevant issues in short period of time. It will become more efficient in future through
gaining better techniques or products of recombinant DNA technology which is helpful to
provide more nutrients in food product and medicines which render support to sort out severe
health problem of an children.
According to the point of view of Artem Cheprasov that genetic engineering include
quite expensive procedures to create hybrid progenies or products for gaining benefits to people.
It requires unlimited funds to carrying out discoveries and experiments in which results may or
may not favourable. In contrary to social aspects, people think that hybrids are not original but
only duplicated product and not easily adopts the same.
Genetic engineering make lives of people more comfortable by providing several benefits
to remain well being and boost up their production of business of agriculture. It also includes
about various food products or other hybrid fruits or animals to gain better yield of milk or eggs
and boost up their quality of well being. It provides support to get better and disease lives of
children also (Vollmann and Eynck, 2015).
There are various kinds of pesticides were used previously which also impacts negatively
on natural environment but after using genetic engineered products for plants are responsible for
less use of harmful pesticides which facilitates to reduce environmental issues like pollution,
global warming and ozone depletion. Genetic engineering is helpful to increase yields of crop
production in agricultural industry within short period of time which results into profits of human
beings. Along with this, it is supportive to gain better treatment to get curation from sever
diseases.
CONCLUSION
The above report had concluded that there are various kinds of concepts which are
includes in science as a human endeavour which covers field of gaining benefits by utilising
scientific approaches. It includes an important section of science which is genetic engineering
that provide support to health care sector, food & agricultural industry and animal husbandry.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Bian, X. and et. al., 2012. Direct cloning, genetic engineering, and heterologous expression of the
syringolin biosynthetic gene cluster in E. coli through Red/ET
recombineering. ChemBioChem. 13(13). pp.1946-1952.
STICKEL, J. and et. al., 2018. Immunotherapy against several tumors of the blood, in particular
chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). U.S. Patent Application 10/000,533.
Kittleson, J. T., Wu, G. C. and Anderson, J. C., 2012. Successes and failures in modular genetic
engineering. Current opinion in chemical biology. 16(3-4). pp.329-336.
Wool, R. and Sun, X. S., 2011. Bio-based polymers and composites. Elsevier.
Zalabák, D. and et. al., 2013. Genetic engineering of cytokinin metabolism: prospective way to
improve agricultural traits of crop plants. Biotechnology advances. 31(1). pp.97-117.
Wang, J. and et. al., 2013. Genetic engineering of Escherichia coli to enhance production of L-
tryptophan. Applied microbiology and biotechnology. 97(17). pp.7587-7596.
Vollmann, J. and Eynck, C., 2015. Camelina as a sustainable oilseed crop: Contributions of plant
breeding and genetic engineering. Biotechnology journal 10(4). pp.525-535.
Online
Margaret Cunningham, 2018. What is Genetic Engineering? - Definition, Benefits & Issues.
[Online]. Available through: <https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-genetic-
engineering-definition-benefits-issues.html>
Artem Cheprasov, 2018. The Influences on Science as a Human Endeavor. [Online]. Available
through: <https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-influences-on-science-as-a-human-
endeavor.html>
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