Genetic Culture in Technology vs Genetic Technology for Human Health

   What is Genetic Technology? Genetic Technology is the modification of genetics and it is used to alter the genetic material to achieve a higher production and can make it  more immune to some diseases which is usually accomplished by replacing genes in an organism. 


   Genetic Technology in agriculture, such as GM foods, is the process of changing the organisms material so it will produce organisms that it will be pest resistance. There is also artificial selection which is breeding plants and animals to get the desired traits. The organisms with artificial selection are cross pollinated with the organisms with the desired traits.


Some of the benefits can be:

• Crops grow faster
• Faster Production
• Less use of fertilizers
• Less use of pesticides
• Disease reduction
• Live longer lives
• More intelligent

But there are also some risk:

• Produces more chemicals
• Birth defects
• Can harm some animals that eat the crops
• Social Inequality
• Can be hazardous 

Sources

 http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/humgeneng.html

http://www.genome.gov/10004767

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/science/gmfoods/

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-transgenic-crops-and-732

Gene Therapy

Should the government allow gene therapy?

What is Gene therapy?

Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. for example, in the future this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient's cells instead of using drugs or surgery. So it will save time and eliminate the risks of going wrong compared to a surgery

Should the government allow this? 
keep in mid some of the pro's and con's to this breakthrough in science
Pros-

• Eradicate Disease:Furthermore, targeting reproductive cells can get rid of such defects for good. People with genetic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are among those who require gene therapy.
• Replace Defective Cells
  Humans have always been prone to variety of diseases; as one cure is discovered, another disease emerges. We are constantly attacked by newer, more dangerous and vituperative types of germs and pathogens. Although many of such diseases can be treated or cured medically, there is no cure for genetic disorders unless defective cells are replaced by proper ones which is what gene therapy does. 

Cons-

• Damage Gene Pool
  If gene therapy was performed to a certain degree, it possibly could permanently change the human gene pool. Another thing would also be—this treatment therapy may possibly be for the rich only, and could make the rich more richer and the poor more poorer, indefinitely.
• Modify Human Capabilities
  One con of gene therapy is that it may be used to enhance and modify human capabilities. If this was feasible, standards for normal human life would be altered for good. Even if certain countries experimented with this form of therapy, they could create unstoppable armies much like in those movies we’ve seen on the big screen.
• Rise in Disorders
  While the most common choice as a vector, using the virus for such a purpose is not guaranteed. There’s an exact point in the host genome where the right should be brought in and there are no assurance that the viral enzyme responsible for this step will be able to bring in the right genes at the exact point in the host genome. If there’s an error in the process, the results could be bring about severe disorders. In addition, the body may destroy the vector perceiving that it is a foreign body. 

What do you think?

Please give us your honest opinion if we should be able to use this technology.Please give us your feedback in the comments below




sources - https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/eric.htm

DNA Presentation

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, also known as DNA, is the hereditary material in all living organisms. It's what makes us the way we are, our biological information. It's made up of four nucleotides, thymine (T), adenine (A), guanine (G), and cytosine (C).

DNA has a double helix structure which unwinds, or unzips, to be able to be replicated. DNA doesn't unzip all at once, it separates in small sections. It's separated by an enzyme called DNA gyrase. The DNA gyrase is followed by a helicase, this enzyme unwinds the strands of DNA and proteins called single strand binding proteins help the DNA stay separate. DNA polymerase goes through and copies the strands of DNA. Sometimes, nucleotides aren't matched correctly which causes mutations in the DNA. These errors are usually caught by DNA repair enzymes, but sometimes the mistakes aren't noticed and they are no longer recognized as mistakes and are passed down through cellular generations.

For more information go to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9940/
http://www.genome.gov/25520880

Designer Babies

What is a Designer Baby? 

A designer baby is a baby that is genetically engineered to have a specific trait pick out by the parents of the child. With this new technology you could choose to have a lower risk for a specific disease, the gender of your child, or even traits such as hair and eye color. The process know as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD, is what helps doctors to be able to let you choose your baby's traits.

Things to know 

Gene Splicing 

"Gene splicing is post-transcriptional modification in which a single gene can code for multiple proteins."-(http://www.premierbiosoft.com definition.) Gene splicing is an important source of protein diversity and generates multiple functional proteins. It then enables a single gene to increase its code capacity  

Gel electrophoresis is a method for separation and analysis of macromolecules (DNA, RNA and proteins) and their fragments, based on their size and charge.  

Transgenic organisms are organisms that have had genes from other species inserted into their genome.

Pros and Cons of Designer Babies

Though designer babies have many good things about them, such as being able to protect the child from disease, there are several bad things about designer babies as well. We have put together a list of some of the pros and cons of designer babies.

Pros

• Reduced risk of genetic disease 
• Better chance of the child succeeding in life 
• Possible increased life span 
• Child can have selected gene that the parents do not carry 

Cons

• Possibility of damaging the gene pool
• Mistakes by the Geneticists could cause your child to have problems 
• Expensive 
• Modifying one gene could affect another one that is not so good.

Should Designer Babies be Legal?

We here at Family Health Genetics believe it would be best if designer babies were not legalized. Though designer babies could be a major help to prevent future diseases the child could get, we feel it would not be smart to design a "perfect" baby because it would not be smart to "play God" so that you can have a baby you want. It could also cause the parents to put extra pressure on the child to be just the way paid for it to be.

What Do you think of Designer Babies? Should they be legal? Would you ever do it for your own child? Leave a comment and let us know.

For more information go to...
http://www.newsweek.com/can-designer-babies-be-made-smarter-401258 
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/07/designer-babies-are-only-for-the-rich.html
https://sites.google.com/a/jeffcoschools.us/designer-babies/home