Parker Jewell

Jean Bower
Biotechnology 1000
Current Biotechnology Position

Biotechnology and genetically engineered animals provide important insights into the
molecular basis of health and disease. Research has focused mainly on genetically modified
mice, although other species, such as pigs, are more like human physiology and can help better
understand how viruses affect us. Researchers have now generated chickens and pigs in which
target genes in desired organs that can be efficiently altered. The researchers at Technical
University of Munich generated chickens and pigs in which target genes in specific organs can
be efficiently altered. Now we can introduce specific gene mutations into any organ and even
correct existing genes. Researchers have discovered that this reduces the number of animals for
research which can reduce costs and improve effectiveness. This is crucial because technology
as well as biotechnology have improved the accuracy of research.

I personally believe this kind of research can positively affect humanity because if we are able
to effectively alter specific genes and even more specific certain organs, I cannot imagine what
we won’t be able to do with genes in the future. This can be a major success for cancer
research, agriculture, and the sustainability of humanity.

The COVID-19 Pandemic is a historical event in biotechnology that was ethically problematic.
This virus has the world of biotechnology working full time to combat this virus and this kind of
breakthrough technology can help us fight it and stop it. Coronaviruses, highly contagious and
widespread viruses known for their distinctive microscopic halos, are responsible for a variety
of deadly intestinal diseases in livestock as well as in humans.

It is quite exciting and fascinating to me the power biotechnology has on the world and we have
an exciting future. Pigs have a similar anatomy and physiology to humans. Modifying these pigs
can help to better understand carcinogenesis in humans. We can test which genes might be
involved in the formation of traits, such as disease resistance. We can also combat infections
using DNA viruses.

There is already proof that these cell culture experiments work for the avian herpes virus. There
is much potential for new treatments and better understanding the human body. Professor.
Schnieke notes, "Our Cas9-expressing chickens and pigs represent an innovative resource for
genome editing in the biomedical and agricultural sciences, but beyond that, these animals are
also available to other research groups. Hence, efficient genome editing in living animals has
the potential to significantly advance biomedical and agricultural research."

It is evident in the fact that socioeconomic differences in health outcomes have been widely
documented for most health conditions in most countries. People who are poorer and who
have less education are more likely to suffer from diseases, to experience loss of functioning, to
be cognitively and physically impaired, and to experience higher mortality rates. Both health
and socioeconomic status have many dimensions and can be conceptualized and measured in
multiple ways, with measurement often falling far short of the conceptual ideas. This adds to
the complexity of synthesizing studies' results relating socioeconomic status, health, and race
and ethnicity.

Biotechnology’s positive impact on the world has more positive than negative impacts in my
opinion. The advent of biotechnology has benefited fields such as agriculture, animal
husbandry, the pharmaceutical industry and medical sciences. In agricultural biotechnology,
genetic engineering has enabled the production of crops that are able to grow in non-ideal
soil or in dry conditions which has helped in dry climates such as our own. These genetically
modified crops are of higher quality and higher yield and have increased shelf life meaning
they last longer after being harvested. With population increasing we need more food. In
addition, they have been engineered to be resistant to pests, which allows farms to use less
pesticide. This can improve the health of humans and our atmosphere. Biotechnology has
also enabled the mass production of previously unavailable medicines, such as insulin, and
facilitated research into molecular biology using genetically modified organisms. Millions of
people have diabetes, and you can thank biotechnology for helping them live a longer,
happier and healthier life.

In agriculture, there are concerns that genetically modified crops may transfer genetic
material into natural, unmodified plants. For instance, a crop that is herbicide resistant may
transfer some of its traits to a weed, which would result in an herbicide resistant weed.
Another concern about agricultural biotechnology centers around the uncertainty of
genetically modified crops long-term biological viability.  Genetically modified organisms may
also escape into the wild, especially transgenic microorganisms, and these events may upset
the balance of the ecosystem in nature. This may cause a decrease in the biodiversity.

References:

Technical University of Munich (TUM). "Chickens and pigs with integrated genetic scissors."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 April 2021.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420121451.htm>.

University of Missouri-Columbia. "Virus-resistant pigs to vastly improve global animal health."

ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 October 2018.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181015132934.htm>.

Suico, Joshua. "The Disadvantages of Biotechnology" sciencing.com,

https://sciencing.com/disadvantages-biotechnology-8590679.html. 1 June 2021.