Biotechnology can change our planet's future
The following is an essay written by me, as part of an assessment of an online MOOC course.Since one of the topics students writing CSEC examinations is based on Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, I thought this might be useful to share.
Biotechnology is the application of biological
organisms, systems, or processes by various industries to help in the
improvement of the value of materials and organism such pharmaceuticals, crops,
and livestock (ASC-Chemistry for life). Biotechnology is not a new concept. It
can be dated back to more than 6000 years ago (Biotechnology Industry
Organization) when man first began to breed and domesticate plants and animals.
However, modern biotechnology involves more genetic engineering, where an
organism's genome is altered. Because of this technology, Biotechnology may
allow man to reshape the future of his planet. We may very well be able to
reduce the imminent threat global climate change by modifying organisms so that
they are better adapted to survive in their ecosystems, and improve quality of
agricultural crops and livestock. With Genetic engineering, we may even be able
to extend our lives, either by improving our diet and health care, or by
genetic engineering. The future certainly looks bright every time a new
discovery is made in the felid of genetics.
There
are numerous impacts that climate change has on plants; both agricultural crops
and those in their natural ecosystem. Warmer temperatures due to climate change
may reduce yields from crops (EPA, USGCRP 2009). Extreme temperatures and high
precipitation can prevent crops from growing. In 2008, it was estimated that
farmers lost about USD $8 billion due to the Mississippi flood in USA (Karl,
T.R. et al, USGCRP, 2009). Climate change also allows more pest and fungal
infections to affect plants due to high humidity, which simply exacerbate the
problems faced by the agricultural sector. However, with the use of genetic
engineering, the problems mentioned above, and those not mentioned here, can be
reduced. One example is that through genetic engineering, crops can be modified
to produce toxins against best, e.g. Bt corn. This plant has a gene from
bacteria that was inserted into the plant, so that the plant will produce the
toxin. When insect pests feed on this plant, the ingest the toxin and die.
Furthermore, plants can be genetically engineered to resist drought, or high
salinity. This is certainly an effective way in which we can mitigate the
effects of climate change on agriculture .
The
second way, in which biotechnology can reshape the future of our lives on this
planet, is by improving our health. From a world population of about three
hundred million (300 million) 2000 years ago, the population of humans is
currently over 7 billion (UMAC 2011). The major reason noted for this
exponential increase can be attributed to an improvement in health care, for
example antibiotics, cleaner drinking water and better agricultural practice to
improve food production . What we do not need for the future, is a continuous
increase in human population, but an increase in equitable distribution of
health care and improvement in what is currently available. Scientist are
already touting the possibility of increasing the average life span of humans.
Gene manipulation in mice has shown that their life expectancy can be increased
by up to 20 % (Arking DE et al. 2005).
An even more shocking prediction is that human life can be extended up to 500
to 1000 years using genetic engineering (James W. Curtsinger, Ph.D, 2007). One
of the major threats we as humans once again face, is the rising level of
antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria. About "70% of known bacteria
have developed resistance to one or more drugs. In Europe, some 25,000 people
die each year as a result of drug resistance" (Kevin Grogan, 2013). The problem does not stop with humans.
Agricultural plants are also being affected. Global climate change is only
exacerbating the situation further. Could biotechnology be our way out? It is
possible to use genetic engineering to create transgenic plants that are
resistant to fungal and bacterial infections (Dilip M Shaw, 1997). Another way, in which biotechnology can help
us, is by causing lost body parts to regenerate. One example would be to grow
human retina using stem cell (Yoshiki Sasai, 2012).
How about producing transgenic pigs to transplant the pig's heart to humans, so
that those patients do not have to wait for donors anymore? (Klymiuk N et al.
2010). Gene therapy also is a promising field in genetics that
promised to treat many genetic disorders such as sickle celled anemia. The list
of benefits to the general health of human population with the aid of
biotechnology is indeed very long one. Human life would never be the same
again, once these technologies are fully studied and made available to patients
at low cost.
One of the most powerful effects of genetic engineering
and biotechnology is that it has the power to improve the quality of life of
every human being. We would soon be able to improve human biological and
psychological capabilities. We may be able to save our planet from the
disastrous effects climate change. Our lives could be changed forever and
humans would never be the same. Certainly, the ethics involved in the use of
biotechnology must not be ignored, but the benefits overshadow the
negatives. The "magical
future" awaits man.
References
1.
What is Biotechnology? Biotechnology
industry Organization, 2013.
http://www.bio.org/node/517
2. Bt Corn. Syngenta, 2013.
http://www.syngenta.com/global/corporate/en/products-and-innovation/research-and-development/biotechnology/Pages/biotechnology-bt-corn.aspx
3.
World Population. UMAC: Upper Middle West Aerospace Consortium, 2011)
http://www.umac.org/ocp/CausesofGrowth/info.html
4. Arking DE, Atzmon
G, Arking A, Barzilai N, Dietz HC. Association between a functional variant
of the Klotho gene and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure,
stroke, and longevity. Circ Res.
2005;96(4):412-8.
5. Genes, Aging, and Prospects for Extended
Life Span. James W. Curtsinger, Ph.D, 2007. http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/PastIssues/PastIssues2007/October2007/ClinicalCurtsingerOctober2007.aspx
http://www.pharmatimes.com/article/13-11-7/Antibiotic_resistance_on_a_par_with_terrorism_threat.aspx
7.
Genetic engineering for fungal and bacterial diseases. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 1997, 8:208–214. Dilip M. Shaw.
http://www.ufv.br/dbv/pgfvg/BVE684/htms/pdfs_revisao/estresse/diseases.pdf
8. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-grow-retina-from-stem-cells
9. Genetic modification of pigs as organ
donors for xenotransplantation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19998476
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