The Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Bacteria

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In 1972, American scientists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen achieved the impossible; they inserted viral DNA into bacterial DNA. When this happened it was groundbreaking and soon led to the the ability for scientists to manipulate gene sequences in DNA. E. Coli was the bacteria that was first used to accept the plasmid known as pSC101 which was resistant to certain antibiotics (Genetics and Genomics Timeline). After repetition of this new process they decided to use the genes from the Xenopus laevis toad into E. Coli bacteria. They saw that the bacteria reproduced at an astonishing rate and recorded that the genetic material from the toad passed through different generations of E. Coli bacteria. Soon after these experiments, there were scientific …show more content…
This was an easier source of insulin than getting it from cows or pigs. After the discovery by American scientists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen, science made unprecedented advances in molecular studies.
Genetically modified bacteria has been the center for the argument in bioethics, as messing with the genetic code without a guideline is unethical. The problems that people have with the modification of genetic material is the ethical repercussions. The use of genetically modified bacteria should be allowed to further the advance of medical and technological endeavors, as once these different methods are understood then new technologies can be used to save lives and make new technology. For the debate in bioethics there are two sides, the people who approve of the use of genetically modified bacteria and the people who don’t approve. The people who approve of the
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Scientists at Vanderbilt University have modified bacteria that lives in the human gut to prevent weight gain. (Genetically Modified Bacteria Could Prevent Obesity) Currently this research has only been done on mice, with the bacteria being used is currently antibiotic-resistant. So the use of these modified bacteria hasn’t been cleared for human use yet. When synthetic human insulin was created in 1978, there was a chain reaction in the modification of genes. The synthetic human insulin was created to offset the use of pig and cow insulin, and it served to be a great alternate to the regular insulin. When the hepatitis B vaccine was created, many people in the US were suffering from the virus. The vaccine helped reduce the rate of infection and helped prevent loss of life. The vaccine has decreased the rate of infection by 82% in the United States by itself. (CDC) The use of genetically modified bacteria, such as Salmonella which is highly immunogenic, these bacteria can be used to promote a greater immune response against other pathogenic strains related to the original pathogen. The strain that is the subject of being injected can further be changed so that it begins to produce its own antibodies and genetic material. This material can help to gain

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