GENETICS

Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering denotes the process of changing the genetic constitution of cells by introducing, modifying, or eliminating specific genes through modern molecular biology techniques. It is applied in several fields, including medicine and agriculture. Its application in medicine comprises the production of medical substances in genetically modified organisms, genetically modified animals as models for the study of human diseases, and gene therapy.

In agriculture, it is used to improve food products in a variety of ways. Some of the well-known genetically modified foods are rice, soybeans, carrots, and tomatoes. Genetic engineering has not only become a major topic of biological anthropology, but has important implications on cultural and social anthropology as well; the most controversial issue is the direct non-medical application of genetic engineering techniques to enhance normal function in humans.

Techniques of genetic engineering are applied in both the research and practice of medicine. In practice, for many years, genetic engineering has made it easier to gain various medical substances that are produced by bacteria, such as insulin, for example. As explained above, plasmids augmented with new genetic material can move across microbial cell boundaries and place the new genetic material next to the bacterium's own genes. Often, the bacteria will take up the gene and begin to produce the protein for which the gene codes.

If the new gene codes for insulin, the bacterium will begin to produce insulin. In addition, transgenic animals are used to produce medicine through the process known as gene pharming. Genetically altered sheep, for example, produce an enzyme in their milk that is present in most people and prevents a serious form of emphysema. Extracted from the milk and purified, it can be helpful to people who do not normally produce it. In general, genetic engineering provides the basis for a well-founded biological-causal ...