A New Biological Era

The knowledge of how genetic material is stored and copied has given rise to a new way of looking at and manipulating biological processes, called molecular biology. With the help of so-called restriction enzymes, molecules that cut the DNA at particular stretches, pieces of DNA can be cut out or inserted at different places.

In basic science, where you want to understand the role of all the different genes in humans and animals, new techniques have been developed. For one thing, it is now possible to make mice that are genetically modified and lack particular genes. By studying these animals scientists try to figure out what that gene may be used for in normal mice. This is called the knockout technique, since stretches of DNA have been taken away, or knocked out.

Scientists have also been able to insert new bits of DNA into cells that lack particular pieces of genes or whole genes. With this new DNA, the cell becomes capable of producing gene products it could not make before. The hope is that, in the future, diseases that arise due to the lack of a particular protein could be treated by this kind of gene therapy.

Over to you

1. Is DNA effective in identifying persons?

2. Is gene therapy being used to cure diseases? What is its promise for the future of medicine?

3. What some recent developments in gene therapy research do you know?

4. What are the potential benefits of human genome research?

5. Prepare presentations on some recent developments in gene therapy research.

Writing

Do you believe that human behavior is determined by our evolution and our genes? Write an essay.

UNIT 5

GENETIC ENGINEERING

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THE GREATEST BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCIENCE HISTORY	\|	AN OVERVIEW

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