What Genetic Modification of Animals Accomplishes?

Genetic Modification of Animals
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Genetic Modification of Animals
Describe The Technology
Genetic modification of animals is a revolutionary technology that promises to change the landscape of agriculture and healthcare. The last two decades saw an increase in the commercialization of products derived from microbial and plant biotechnology. Today, there is a growing interest among researchers to produce animals and animal products using modern genetic, reproductive and breeding technologies. The technology of genetically engineering animals allows new genes to be introduced to organisms of different species (Lievens, Petrillo, Querci, & Patak, 2015). While this technology is yet to be introduced in the market and in farms, it is anticipated that farmers and the public will embrace transgenic animals in the near future.
What Genetic Modification of Animals Accomplishes?
The technology of genetically modifying animals, seeks to accomplish three main objectives. With the advancements in genetic technologies, improved animals will be used for food, as pets, and as sources of biopharmaceuticals (Lievens et al., 2015). Genetic engineering in farm animals used for human consumption is done to improve their health, growth rate, resistance to diseases, meat, milk, and wool production. Animals can also be engineered to enhance their aesthetic qualities and act as pets (Ormandy, Dale, & Griffin, 2011). Lastly, this technology aims at molecular farming, where transgenic animals would be used to produce biopharmaceuticals. This technique is known as pharming. Unlike cell cultures, animals have been identified as better bioreactors because of their precise metabolic processes and are cheaper compared to the former. In this category, xenoplants and mammalian milk can be used in medical applications to manage human disorders.
The Scientific Principles That Make This Technology Possible
Genetic engineering uses modern molecular biology and biotechnological tools to precisely introduce or modify certain traits in animals. In this practice, novel genetic materials can be introduced or existing genes can be deleted so that modified ones can be added. Genes usually contain inheritable chemical components that define the traits of an organism. Therefore, the movement of these genes from species to another species transfers the traits to the latter species (Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d). The latter species becomes transformed.
Describe How Exactly the Technology Works
Genetic engineering is not synonymous to cloning. In cloning, exact copies of genetic materials are produced and transfer between organisms of the same species. However, in genetic engineering, unique gene copies are produced and these can be transferred to organisms belonging to different species (U.S Food and Drug Administration (2015). The technology works with the aid of tools known as restriction enzymes and ligases. Restriction enzyme will first cut the DNA strand from the donor organism. Ligases also act to join the cut DNA strand to the recipient organism. This results in the new organism having the genetic material of the donor organism. The new organism will therefo...