Similar to many other technologies, gene therapy and the production and application of GMOs can be used to address and resolve complicated scientific, medical, and environmental issues, but they must be used wisely.
Improving public healthIn medicine, genetic engineering (GE) is used to make biopharmaceutical drugs. Various organisms are engineered for use as factories to produce the drug product. Bacteria are the preferred option, as they are the easiest to grow and scale-up for production, but depending on the complexity of the drug’s molecular structure, other organisms such as yeasts, mammalian cells, etc., can also be used to express the drug product. The first GE drug approved for use was insulin. By the year 2000, there were over 100 GE drugs on the market. Currently, people’s lives are changed every day by drugs like Remicade, Epo, Avastin, and Neulasta. Several studies show that these GMOs have positive impacts on human health. As expected, the enhancement of multiple micronutrients in the same crop by genetic modification, creates the best results. This method generates mass health benefits at a relatively low cost.
Examples of use of GMO in Medicine
GMOs advance science of vaccines - Hepatitis B
One disease currently being addressed with the help of molecular biology is hepatitis B, which kills one person every minute worldwide. In the 1960s, virologists realised that the hepatitis B antigen, a protein from the virus’ outer shell that affects an immune response in an infected person, showed up in the blood of hepatitis B patients. To their surprise, injecting a healthy person with the purified antigen protected against future infections. The first hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), approved in 1981, was made by harvesting the antigen from the blood of hepatitis B carriers, including intravenous drug users. Once recombinant DNA technology was developed, researchers could isolate the gene for the virus’ antigen protein, allowing for HBV to be manufactured in laboratories via those genetic instructions instead of from infected blood. Currently, both FDA-approved vaccines for hepatitis B include the recombinant version of the antigen.
Biological medicines are therapeutic goods that are derived from biological sources (including GMOs and GM products) and are regulated as registered prescription medicines. Other Examples include:
- vaccines
- antivenoms
- bacteria derived toxins
- Immunoglobulins
- monoclonal antibodies
- allergens
- blood products and clotting factors
- hormones such as insulin, growth hormone,
- enzymes such as pancreatins
- heparins.
With the help of GMOs, infectious disease experts have the tools to get ahead of the next outbreak, moving beyond reaction to quick detection, containment and even prevention.
No comments:
Post a Comment