Genetic Engineering And Its Effects On Cancer Essay

Introduction Cancer, one of the most feared and deadliest diseases that affects millions of people around the world, may finally have a cure. Thanks to modern biotechnology, diseases that used to kill people, like smallpox, measles, and even HIV may actually hold the key to killing cancer. The ability for a virus to infect cancer cells has been documented as early as the 1900s. Recently scientists have been able to manipulate the genetic structure of viruses so we can use them to treat cancer safely. This recent breakthrough is known as genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a new technology that allows scientists to reprogram viruses to infect and destroy cancer cells. Genetically modified viruses prove to be advantageous in treating cancer and illustrates a promising and effective treatment for cancer patients because it does not affect healthy tissues. Virotherapy This emerging field in medicine is called Virotherapy, which explores the use of viruses to kill cancer. Viruses that kill cancer are termed oncolytic virus. These viruses are classified as either a natural oncolytic virus or a genetically modified virus (GM virus). In order for a virus to be considered an oncolytic virus it must be capable of replication and selective infection of tumor cells (Wong 79). Oncolytic viruses use many means to kill cancer cells, either directly, or through immune mechanisms which destroy the infected tumor cells (Alberts 2002). It is because of this ability for viruses toShow MoreRelatedHuman Genetic Engineering : Is It Good?1242 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Genetic Engineering: Is It Good? Ciabhan Moore Bellevue Big Picture Student s-moorec@bsd405.org Abstract – Human Genetic Engineering has always been an idea to enhance humans, whether that is to remove life-threatening diseases or give humans different abilities. To accomplish these tasks at hand, one needs to know the science behind what it takes to modify a human and both the positive and negative effects To know how Human Genetic Engineering works, one needs to know specific topics suchRead MoreUnit Title: Biochemistry Of Nucleic Acids.(A.C. 5.1 And1583 Words   |  7 Pagescalled histone (American cancer society 2014). According to Cancer Research UK (2014) DNA by itself is made up of thousands of genes, which are a coded message that tell the cell how to behave and divide. As such if the signals are missing, cells replicate excessively and mutate, forming a tumour, and later, a primary cancer (American cancer society 2014). Figure 1.1. Mutation of the DNA leads to severe diseases such as cancer. (Midhath 2012) Read MoreThe Importance Of Genetic Engineering1282 Words   |  6 PagesGenetic engineering is defined as the modification of the characteristics of an organism by altering its genetic material. 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Vincent, being the first born between Anton and him, gave the doctors an idea of what is going to happen in the future for Vincent based off of genetics and also gives parents the opportuni ty to make a flawless child base off of Vincent’s DNA as this society wantsRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms And The Health Of The Population1177 Words   |  5 PagesGenetic engineering (GE) is the process of modifying organisms, usually to perfect them in some way. This process involves the changing of gene sequences in an organism by inserting different genes from two or more species into the chromosome of the organism being modified (Genetically Modified Food). GE is used in a wide variety of organisms including plants, animals, and, crops. The purpose of using these techniques in crops is to improve the quality of them. GE can yield multiple benefitsRead MoreEnvironmental And Consumer Organizations Protest Against Genetic Engineering1495 Words   |  6 Pagesincreasing rapidly (Nelson, 2001). The most common genetically modified crops include corn, sugar, cotton, dairy, rice, potatoes and tomatoes. There are opponents and supporters of GMO alike. Environmenta l and consumer organizations protest against genetic engineering claiming that the GMO foods bring risks to human health. On the supporting side, it is believed that the use of genetically modified crops provides potential benefits. Firstly, they play a significant role in food security as one of the possibleRead MoreGenetic Engineering Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesGenetic Engineering Genetic engineering is the alteration of genetic code by artificial means, and is therefore different from traditional selective breeding. Genetic engineering (GE) is used to take genes and segments of DNA from one species, e.g. fish, and put them into another species, e.g. tomato. To do so, GE provides a set of techniques to cut DNA either randomly or at a number of specific sites. Once isolated one can study the different segments of DNA, multiply