Pro Genetic Engineering Essay

What is genetic engineering? Also known as genetic modification, genetic engineering is the process of changing the DNA in an organism's genome. This would involved changing or altering one base pair, or inserting or deleting a whole region of DNA in a sequence. For example, this could be a mutation, such as a point mutation or frameshift mutation. A point mutation is when one nucleotide is substituted for another and can have either an effect or not. A frameshift mutation involves the insertion or deletion of a nucleotide in a DNA sequence. It can also mean, however, removing DNA from a separate organism and combining it with one of another. Genetic engineering was first accomplished by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1972. Genetic engineering can be used for many positive uses. For example, scientists use genetic engineering in mass producing medicines such as insulin, growth hormones, vaccines, and many others. In other uses, organisms can be genetically engineered to help scientists discover the use and functions of individual genes. It is used …show more content…
Using this new form of modern medicine, scientists can use genetic engineering for therapy treatments and to change cells in the human body. This will allow diseased genes to be deleted or mutated so that they are no longer a harm or disease to or within the body. Then, the procedure would continue and new cells or genes would be inserted into the spot of the one that was removed. The new cells can function for positive uses, such as the production of proteins in the immune system to help fight off diseases. However, using genetic engineering in humans still has unknown effects. For example, it is unsure of how the new cells put into the body would react in the future. Therefore, there is a big controversy on whether or not genetic engineering with stem cells can be helpful or