How Gene Manipulation Occurs & Gene Splicing, Gel Electrophoresis, and Transgenic Organisms

Gene manipulation has many different names including genetic engineering, gene modification, and many others as well. Gene manipulations occurs by altering, changing, or transferring DNA or genes to improve the organism. There are many different ways to make gene manipulation happen, there are GM(genetically modified) animals, foods, and people.

Gel electrophoresis is basically a slab of gel usually made of agarose or polyacrylamide and is set into a tank with a pH buffer. You then apply an electric field to the tank that makes the molecules separate, the molecules then move from a negative charge along the electric field to the positive end of the tank. This process is used to separate proteins and others. 

Gene splicing is a post-transcriptional modification that can be used for a single gene to code multiple proteins. Gene splicing is only done in eukaryotic cells, and happens before the mRNA translation. It is very important for a wide range of diversity between proteins.

Transgenic Organisms can be used to genetically modify ones genes to either new genes or modify the genes you already have. What has greatly impacted on the help of making this possible is recombinant DNA. Transgenic organisms are also used in our crops to create food crops like these are known as GMO or genetically modified organisms.

http://biology.kenyon.edu/courses/biol114/Chap08/Chapter_08a.html#cloning
http://knowgenetics.org/transgenic-organisms/

Comparing Genetic Technology in Agriculture and Genetic Technology for Human Health

In the year 1983 was the beginning of GMO or genetically modified organisms/ foods. Since then we have drastically changed our planet with the creation of GMO's. The human race has taken our food supply and turned it into genetically engineered food that impacts our health and environment. For example, they could spread unwanted traits into non-GM crops, produce toxins in the crop, and may harm any animal that ingests the crop, we are even slowly poisoning our own bodies, there are many risks to GMO's. With this said genetic technology for human heath and genetic technology in agriculture are both used to manipulate genes, for either specific genes you want or don't want. They are used for two very different subjects but they are not different in reason.

http://thegeneticpoetics.blogspot.com/2010/11/compare-and-contrast-genetic-technology.html
http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/food-agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering-agriculture#.VpbxmDZcBUQ

Human Genome Project and Impact it Has on Human Gene Therapy

Human Genome Project and Impact it Has on Human Gene Therapy

                                             

Human Gene Therapy

Human Genome Project

                                                       

Human gene therapy is a way to treat and even prevent diseases and cancers through surgery or prescription drugs. All procedures have risks, along with gene therapy, and even though this is still an ongoing experiment it is hopeful that in the near future this will help sick people. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was a scientific research project determined to find the sequence of chemical base pair that make human DNA, and also to find and identify all the genes in a human genome. The plan of HGP started in 1984 and took off in 1990, the research was concluded in 2003.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/genetherapy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Genome_Project
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=193524

Should the Government Allow Genetically Modified Embryos?

Parents always want their children to succeed, to become successful so does our government, but how far is the government willing to go to let us succeed? Are they willing to make designer babies? Are we willing to let the government make designer babies? In the U.S. today it is illegal to make designer babies, unless it is to prevent your future child to get a disease. Although, preventing deathly diseases and seeing your child suffer is miserable to the parent and child, is it still okay to make a genetically modified embryo? There are many downfalls that could come from the government allowing us to make designer babies. For example, wealthier classes can afford for this expensive procedure, while lower classes cannot, and it is unjust to the lower classes who can to pay for this procedure. To make a designer baby it costs from $10,000 to $15,000. The price alone, of making designer babies, will cause discrimination against the wealthier classes and the lower classes. Not mention the disparity that will go from the people who are genetically modified and those who are not. How far are we willing to let the scientist take genetically altered children into the future?

https://sites.google.com/site/theprosandconsofdesignerbabies/government-regulations

Citations

"Designer Babies Pros and Cons | Gene Therapy | Genetic Engineering." Designer Babies Pros and Cons | Gene Therapy | Genetic Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.

"Government Regulations - The Pros and Cons of Designer Babies." Government Regulations - The Pros and Cons of Designer Babies. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016.

"What Is Gene Therapy?" Genetics Home Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"Human Genome Project." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Implications of the Human Genome Project for Medical Science." JAMA Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016

"Chapter 8 A. Recombinant DNA Technology." Chapter 8 A. Recombinant DNA Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

"Genetic Engineering in Agriculture." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

"Out of THE Box Genetics." : Compare and Contrast Genetic Technology in Agriculture (genetically Modified (GM) Foods) with the Genetic Technology for Human Health. N.p., 27 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

"Gene Therapy - A Revolution in Progress: Human Genetics and Medical Research." Gene Therapy - A Revolution in Progress: Human Genetics and Medical Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

"Transgenic Organisms - Genetics Generation." Genetics Generation. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.

Should the Government Allow Human Gene Therapy?

Unlike designer babies, gene therapy is specifically used to treat and prevent life altering diseases and cancers. Genes are what is passed on to your child and if the genes do not produce the correct protein or to much or to less your child could have a genetic disorder. Although this technology has not been approved and is still under experimental trials it will drastically change your future child's life. With either designer babies or gene therapy there are many risks and tests are still being done to ensure that this is a safe way to guarantee that your child will be healthy.








https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genesandgenetherapy.html
https://history.nih.gov/exhibits/genetics/sect4.htm

Pros and Cons of Human Genetic Technology

There are many different pros and cons to these genetically modified embryos.
Pros:

• ensuring your child will have no diseases
• less chance of disabilities
• more successful chances that your child will succeed
• can give a child a specific gene parents do not have
• can prevent the next generation of this child of getting a specific characteristic
• ensure your child will have long healthy successful life

Cons:

• society could be against this "perfect" child
• will not have power to feel as an individual 
• future child does not have a say about their new life
• the rich can afford to do this procedure while the lower classes cannot 
• other children in the family/ society could be against the child

http://www.futureforall.org/bioengineering/designer-babies.html