The Pros and Cons of Gene Technology

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Recommended: Benefits of genetically modified food

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Use of Gene Technology

The field of gene technology is an extremely vast and largely unknown

one. Within it are many different sections of application and within

these come many advantages and many disadvantages. It is a relatively

new area of science and as such many people are unaware of the full

potential of the applications of gene technology, or even the possible

negative repercussions. This gives rise to questions such as, 'Is it

right for us to play God?'

One of the largest areas of application of gene technology is in

medicine. The first practical use of genetic engineering was to use

bacteria as 'factories' to make substances that are useful to humans.

The prime example of this is insulin, where previously it had to be

obtained from animals for those people who needed regular insulin

injections. This process was more expensive, but it was also animal

insulin, so there was a high risk of side effects. With gene

technology, it is now possible to manipulate bacteria to produce vast

quantities of human insulin at a cheaper cost with no side effects.

Another practical use in medicine is to check unborn babies for

possible genetic disorders. With gene technology it is possible to

assess the likelihood of an unborn child being born with or developing

a disease that would seriously affect their life. With this

information, parents have the choice of keeping the baby or not, to

spare it from a seriously impaired or shortened life. An exciting and

likely prospect in medicine is gene therapy, which is being tested

currently. This would allow doctors to cure a disorder which was a

result of a...

... middle of paper ...

... (a right to privacy): 'Genetic profiles' pg.

38

2) 'Biological Sciences Review' Volume 17 Number 2 November2004

- Advantages in agriculture: 'Birds, bees and superweeds' pg.24

- Disadvantages in agriculture: 'Birds, bees and superweeds' pg. 24

3) http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3081

- Advantages in agriculture: 'Genetically modified food'

4) http://www.spinneypress.com.au/122_book_desc.html

- Advantages in agriculture: 'Debates- arguments for genetically

modifies foods'

- Disadvantages in agriculture: 'Debates- arguments against

genetically modified foods'

5) http://www.txtwriter.com/Backgrounders/Genetech/GEcontents.html

- Advantages in medicine: 'Medical applications'

- Advantages in crime fighting: 'DNA fingerprinting'

- Ethical disadvantages: 'Ethics and regulation'

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