Genetic Engineering
30% of Children with rare and genetic diseases will not live to see their 5th birthday.
What's Genetic Engineering?
Genetic Engineering seems like a risky art, but in
reality it can save millions of lives every year. Importantly, 39.6% [A.3] of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Cancer has been repeatedly connected with certain genes in people. Thus, gene editing can prevent cancer from affecting people's loved ones. Preventing tragedies such as this disease can help shape the world's future by allowing for longer lives and future scientific developments in gene editing.
Genetic Engineering is the process of "changing" or "editing" one's genes in order for a specific trait to be hidden or shown. In the cases to be discussed, gene editing will be used to hide traits known to cause many deadly diseases. CRISPR is one of many bacteria methods used to complete the gene editing process. Scientist hope to use this method to develop cures for various diseases, but it faces the challenge of being inaccurate and illegal to use on embryos. This is the newest and most promising method, and more information is featured below.
In 1973, Rudolf Jaenisch created the first transgenetic mouse, for the purpose to putting a previous scientist's research in a real world application and testing how well genes can be manipulated. This man was a German scientist who came to the United States to take a research opportunity that lasts in the history books to this day. [A.7]
Traditional usage of genetic engineering was through selective breeding. By using the method of transgenetics, where a scientist chooses specific genes to be implemented in an organism, the technology became more powerful and useful to a wider demographic. Selective breeding has been done for generations in the United States, through the form of picking your spouse. By discovering the ability to filter out and choose specific traits, we take the technology to a level that can produce cures and humans that are stronger than ever. In other words, maybe soon the apple will fall far from the tree.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short
Palindromic Repeat) is a genome editing tool which is one of the newest breakthroughs in the gene editing world, being the most efficient, precise, and flexible tool. It uses the Cas9 protein found in Strep Bacteria as well as many other organisms. Streptococcus Pyogenes is the specific bacteria that is injected to edit genomes. [A.4]
With CRISPR numerous afflictions can be treated or
even prevented, for example: Obesity and Alzheimer's; furthermore provide endless supply of donor organs. This is done by destroying the bad versions of the gene which cause the disease, in doing so, halting the replication of the counterproductive protein. [A.4]
To the right is a video explaining the process of gene editing in further detail.
Tool of the Trade: CRISPR
Genome Editing with CRISPR-Cas9 by the McGovern Institute of Brain Research at MIT
Changing the World
By genetically modifying herbs, we can produce better medicines.
The History of Genome Editing
Genetically modified fish, added a gene to illuminate.
By genetically modifying herbs, we can produce better medicines.
Expression plasmids encoding Cas9 gene and sgRNA cassette. This shows a ring of DNA, and how Cas9 and CRISPR are used to invade the DNA. Once the plasmid, or ring of DNA, is infected different proteins for different effects are produced.
Cas9 nuclease: "Molecular Scissors" These function as splicers to split the DNA and insert the correct, or new, piece of DNA with CRISPR/Cas9. Need an example? 1. cut a piece of paper in half 2. glue a piece of paper between the two, connecting both ends 3. label the complete paper "CRISPR/Cas9" 4.The half papers "Original DNA" 5.The glue is DNA ligase, and the scissors were DNA nuclease.
Viral vectors encoding CRISPR reagents, allow the DNA to reform/ change. The viral vectors finish the job, they infect all other cells and spread the newly made DNA to the rest of the organism. What would the point of having one cell of trillions with the DNA to prevent a disease? Exactly. After this step the organism is all fixed up and done with their genetic engineering process.
Expression plasmids encoding Cas9 gene and sgRNA cassette. This shows a ring of DNA, and how Cas9 and CRISPR are used to invade the DNA. Once the plasmid, or ring of DNA, is infected different proteins for different effects are produced.
The Process!
Cells, we have trillions, contain Chromosomes that are composed of DNA. 3 Nucleotide sequences
code for proteins and are known as genes. These proteins are what decide your phenotype or physical appearance. Also under phenotypes are pre-exposions, meaning a greater risk of for inheriting a disease, like heart problems. Genetic disorders are caused by a gene miscoding in a sequence.
Where genetic engineering comes in is the mending of these mistakes, thus leading to a healthy person. The mistakes are either addition, deletion, translations, or replications. The virus that genetic engineering produces is actually "friendly" and fixes the complication. Genetic engineering is the process of creating different viruses that can infect the DNA of unhealthy patients and fix them whether they are embryos or when they are adults.
So what are Genes?
A common analogy to make this organized is
that of a cookbook and a recipe:
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The book shelf of cookbooks is known as the genome.
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The cookbook will be the cell.
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The recipes will be chromosomes and DNA.
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While all the letters code for words just like genes code for proteins.
Overall, genetic engineering can be the equivalent to spell check!
This interractive slide show explains the process of genetic engineering. Please press the left and right arrows to navigate!