Research on Module 5 Lesson 3 - Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Gene

Therapy

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

- GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are living organisms such as plants, animals, or microorganisms
whose genetic material (DNA) has been artificially manipulated using the recombinant DNA technique.

- The consequences of cultivating GM plants could have unintended impacts on ecosystem health, such as un-
natural gene flow, diminished genetic diversity, effects on non-target species, weediness, reduced pesticide
and herbicide efficiency, herbicide and insecticide toxicity, modification of soil and water chemistry and
quality and damaging ecosystem complexity by diminishing biodiversity (ARISTIDIS M. ET. AL. 2017).
Second, the use of GM plants as human food and animal feed could represent a hazard to health. (FORD ET
AL., 2006; HAN ET AL., 2015; YAN ET AL., 2015).

- The applications of more precise, and well-regulated technologies, such as CRISPR (Clustered Regularly
Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), CRISPR-associated (Cas) genes, and new breeding technologies, will
increase in usage as these technologies come under appropriate legislation. Regarding safety assessment and
health hazards, remain concerns about the long-term usage of GM food and feed. The specific issue of labeling
GM food has been addressed by several legal instruments to ensure that the final consumer was informed of
any change in the characteristic or food property (European Parliament & Council of the European Union,
2004). Labeling should be mandatory and should be considered a basic consumer right. The next generation of
GM foods will be vegetables and fruits with improved nutritional value to functional foods and nutraceuticals
and evaluations will increasingly have to consider the impact of next-generation GM on food safety
assessment strategies (Udriste, Amalia & Badulescu, Liliana. (2017). GENETICALLY MODIFIED
ORGANISMS. 49. 2017).

GENE THERAPY
- Major farming groups have welcomed the move. GM supporters say the biotechnology leads to better crop
yields and may solve food shortages and reduce infestations of weeds and pests.
But opponents say GM crops are a potential threat to the environment and human health. They fear the
technology will encourage superweeds, increase antibiotic resistance and food allergies in humans and may
have other unintended effects.
So where does the truth lie? Academic research suggests GM crops are generally safe for humans and the
environment, and so I believe the NSW government’s decision should be welcomed (Tan, Daniel. “From This
Week, Every Mainland Australian State Will Allow Genetically Modified Crops. Here’s Why That’s Nothing to
Fear.” The Conversation, 27 June 2021, theconversation.com/from-this-week-every-mainland-australian-state-
will-allow-genetically-modified-crops-heres-why-thats-nothing-to-fear-159976).
TYPES OF GENE THERAPY

DISADVANTAGES:

ADVANTAGES

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS

1. After several decades of research and experimentation, therapies like oligonucleotide-based therapies, in-
vivo gene therapies, and cell therapies have received approval. They treat disorders like cancer, inherited
blindness, neuromuscular diseases, and many others.
2. The therapies mentioned above have saved the lives of several patients. They also form the basis for
researchers to develop treatments for other life-threatening and incurable disorders.
3. For example, the success of gene transfer procedures led to the development of several AAV-based therapies
involving the delivery of genes to skeletal muscles and the liver to treat Hemophilia I and Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy II, respectively.

4. Research in adoptive cell immunotherapy was expanded to studies in modifying hematopoietic stem cells,
which further enabled the development of therapies for several genetic disorders like Beta Thalassemia and
Sickle Cell Disease. The European Union has recently approved these therapies, and the US is currently
reviewing them.

CONCLUSION
Gene therapy represents a novel alternative for the management of diseases that have no satisfactory cure.
Gene therapy for cancer treatment has good progress in the last three decades, few drugs approved, while
others are still in trials. Relatively gene therapy has better safety with tolerable adverse effects than
chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In the future, tumor genomic analysis, assessment of host humoral
and cellular immunity will facilitate a better selection of the most appropriate patient for gene therapy. Recent
progress in developing safe and effective vectors for gene delivery, and understanding the activity of
nucleases facilitate future genome editing as new treatment approaches for untreatable diseases like cancer.