GENETIC ENGINEERING - A BREAKTHROUGH

Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/manipulation (GM) and gene splicing are terms that apply to the direct manipulation of an organism's genes.[1] Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly. Genetic engineering uses the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and characteristics of genes directly. Genetic engineering techniques have found some successes in numerous applications. Some examples are in improving crop technology, the manufacture of synthetic human insulin through the use of modified bacteria, the manufacture of erythropoietin in hamster ovary cells, and the production of new types of experimental mice such as the oncomouse (cancer mouse) for research
There are a number of ways through which genetic engineering is accomplished. Essentially, the process has:

Isolation of the genes of interest
Insertion of the genes into a transfer vector
Transfer of the vector to the organism to be modified
Transformation of the cells of the organism
Selection of the genetically modified organism (GMO) from those that have not been successfully modified

Genetic engineering is going to become a very mainstream part of our lives sooner or later, because there are so many possibilities advantages (and disadvantages) involved.

•Disease could be prevented by detecting people/plants/animals that are genetically prone to certain hereditary diseases, and preparing for the inevitable. Also, infectious diseases can be treated by implanting genes that code for antiviral proteins specific to each antigen.
•Animals and plants can be 'tailor made' to show desirable characteristics. Genes could also be manipulated in trees for example, to absorb more CO2 and reduce the threat of global warming.
•Genetic Engineering could increase genetic diversity, and produce more variant alleles which could also be crossed over and implanted into other species. It is possible to alter the genetics of wheat plants to grow insulin for example.

•Nature is an extremely complex inter-related chain consisting of many species linked in the food chain. Some scientists believe that introducing genetically modified genes may have an irreversible effect with consequences yet unknown.
•Genetic engineering borderlines on many moral issues, particularly involving religion, which questions whether man has the right to manipulate the laws and course of nature.

Genetic engineering may be one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent history with the above eventualities and facts above in hand; governments have produced legislation to control what sorts of experiments are done involving genetic engineering. Strict laws prohibit any experiments involving the cloning of humans. However, over the years here are some of the experimental 'breakthroughs' made possible by genetic engineering.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering
http://www.biology-online.org/2/13_genetic_engineering.htm

Regards,
Team Infinity