Biotechnology can be a very good thing, but there ris the potenital of taking it too far. In the movie "Gattaca" the capabilities of biotechnology were taken too far. In this movie parents can choose exactly what their child will be like down to their looks, talents and physical abilities. In this new way of life nothing is left to chance anything and everything can be genetically altered. Although this has its benefitssuch as eliminating diseases, heart defects, and premature balding, it is not a good thing overall.
The biotechnology in this move is extremely advanced. There day in which biotechnology could be used to eliminate diesease in children would be amazing. However, the extreme genetic alterations could lead to discrimination as shown in the movie. Your genetic make up should not define you as a person, it should not eliminate job opportunites or seperate you from the rest of society. The idea of such specified ways of reproduction is beyond ridiculous and just unnecessary. Childbirth is a game of chance that has been around for millions of year, you should not be able to pick and choose exactly what your child should be like, its just weird.
Discrimination based off of your genetic make up, sound crazy right? Well in this movie this actually happens. The main character, Vincent, is born with a heart defect and isn't even supposed to live to be very old. However, Vincent wants to go to the moon, he wants to go up into space. But Vincent has a heart defect, so he is proclaimed an "invalid" and the only jobs available to him are janitorial. The good jobs belong to the "valids" the ones who had everythting about their genetics picked out before they were even born. Job discrimination due to the work of biotechnology was one of the negative impacts shown in this movie. Another negative thing was shown with Vincent's relationship with a woman at Gattaca. She was technically an invalid, and he was posing as a valid so when they got together she gave him a hair off of her head. The hair was so that he could check and see if anything was wrong with her... you know being an valid obviously just makes you that much more superior than anyone who isn't. That in itself is ridiculous, you shouldn't have to worry about testing the DNA of the person you are considering dating. Relationships don't work like that. The biotechnologoy really just changed the way of life for every day people in this movie.
Another big issue with the biotechnoloyg's capability to change everything about people is that the "valids" were all capable of living long lives, and were very healthy. If everyone is healthy, and everyone is destined to live a long life, where are they all going to go? We would over populate like the deer population. There would be no room for any of us to live comfortably. This is yet another negative impact of genetic altering. Although the idea is a good one, there is just too great of a possibiltiy that we will take it too far and the negative impoacts will out weight the few good ones. If we would learn how to limit ourselves and just use it to eliminate disease that would be great, but we are humans why would we even consider stopping if we can just keep accomplishing more?
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
A Drug for Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic Fibrosis is a well known genetic lung disease. If you have Cystic Fibrosis you have mucus in your lungs that builds up and makes it difficult to breathe, also it opens you up to the possibility of recieving an infection. Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in white people.
In August, 1989 American and Candadian scientists discovered the gene responsible for Cystic Fibrosis. When this happened scientists believe that they would be able to quickly come up with a cure, or drug that would allow them to treat the disease. Now, almost 25 years later, a druge to treat the disease is possible. It took the scientists this long to test 600,000 possible chemical solutions that would help fix the incorrect protein that produced Cystic Fibrosis. The new drug is one called Kalyedco.
Kalyedco like all drug is not perfect. It does not cure the disease but it helps to control it. Also, it is very expensive, it can cost $300,000 per year. Another downside is it doesn't work for everyone with Cystic Fibrosis, only those with a certain type of mutation in that gene. The scientists that have helped to create Kalyedco are still on the search for a drug to help a greater amount of people with Cystic Fibrosis, but they have been able to accomplish much with Kalyedco. A woman that is on Kalyedco (she has the specific gene mutation necessary for it to work) is able to breathe and not feel as if her lungs are filled with mucous, instead they feel clear. For her this is enough, for the scientists not so much.
The only way currently to fix the protien and thus end Cystic Fibrosis comes from gene therapy. Apparently gene therapy is not easy though. There is a good chance that it will not work and takes a lot of time and effort. So as of now there is no definite way to cure Cystic Fibrosis, but the fact that scienists were able to come up with a drug that benefits some is a good start.
Hopefully someday soon scientists will be able to help end Cystic Fibrosis. As they progress towards this ending goal it is good that they are at least capable of making drugs to help those currently struggling with it. Although the drug is defintely very expensive, like all other drugs over time it is bound to drop in price. It is important that we focus on developing drugs that help or even can cure diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, its a long difficult task to find a solution to these issues and takes true dedication. If we could eliminate Cystic Fibrosis there is the possibility to eliminate other genetic diseases, this drug has gotten the ball rolling for more to come in this specific focus and hopefully some others as well. I hope that one day during my life time Cystic Fibrosis will no longer be a disease people have to worry about, and I hope it is not the only one like that.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/02/168353348/drug-fulfills-promise-of-research-into-cystic-fibrosis-gene
In August, 1989 American and Candadian scientists discovered the gene responsible for Cystic Fibrosis. When this happened scientists believe that they would be able to quickly come up with a cure, or drug that would allow them to treat the disease. Now, almost 25 years later, a druge to treat the disease is possible. It took the scientists this long to test 600,000 possible chemical solutions that would help fix the incorrect protein that produced Cystic Fibrosis. The new drug is one called Kalyedco.
Kalyedco like all drug is not perfect. It does not cure the disease but it helps to control it. Also, it is very expensive, it can cost $300,000 per year. Another downside is it doesn't work for everyone with Cystic Fibrosis, only those with a certain type of mutation in that gene. The scientists that have helped to create Kalyedco are still on the search for a drug to help a greater amount of people with Cystic Fibrosis, but they have been able to accomplish much with Kalyedco. A woman that is on Kalyedco (she has the specific gene mutation necessary for it to work) is able to breathe and not feel as if her lungs are filled with mucous, instead they feel clear. For her this is enough, for the scientists not so much.
The only way currently to fix the protien and thus end Cystic Fibrosis comes from gene therapy. Apparently gene therapy is not easy though. There is a good chance that it will not work and takes a lot of time and effort. So as of now there is no definite way to cure Cystic Fibrosis, but the fact that scienists were able to come up with a drug that benefits some is a good start.
Hopefully someday soon scientists will be able to help end Cystic Fibrosis. As they progress towards this ending goal it is good that they are at least capable of making drugs to help those currently struggling with it. Although the drug is defintely very expensive, like all other drugs over time it is bound to drop in price. It is important that we focus on developing drugs that help or even can cure diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, its a long difficult task to find a solution to these issues and takes true dedication. If we could eliminate Cystic Fibrosis there is the possibility to eliminate other genetic diseases, this drug has gotten the ball rolling for more to come in this specific focus and hopefully some others as well. I hope that one day during my life time Cystic Fibrosis will no longer be a disease people have to worry about, and I hope it is not the only one like that.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/02/168353348/drug-fulfills-promise-of-research-into-cystic-fibrosis-gene
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