Identify the Potential Impact of Genetic Engineering on the Future Course of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv)
BACKGROUND:
Similar to how the twentieth century was the era of prosperity of computing, the twenty-first century is the DNA era. The silicon age brought about remarkable changes in how we as a species think, operate and communicate. A chain reaction occurred, for with the advancements of the computer revolution, came the rise in the genetic revolution – a revolution that will indefinitely do for life what computing did for information. During this modernized age, we are on the brink of being able to transform, manipulate, and create organisms for any number of productive purposes. “From medicine, to agriculture, to construction and even computing, we are within reach of an age when manipulating the genetic codes of various organisms, or engineering entirely new organisms, promises to alter the way we relate to the natural world” (David Koepsell, 2007).
Biotechnology, particularly genetic engineering, is already a beneficial resource, employed in medicine. “Genetic engineering is the human altering of the genetic material of living cells to make them capable of producing new substances or performing new functions” (Gale, 2005). It has the potential to improve our health and well-being significantly, revolutionize our manner of living, help us to conserve limited resources, and produce new wealth. Provided that it is appropriately regulated, bearing in mind ethical concerns relating to dignity, harmful consequences, and justice, its potential benefits outweigh its harms. A specific technique of genetic engineering is stem cell therapy and for HIV infection, many different approaches using gene transfer to either limit virus replication or stimulate host immunity are in preclinical development.
This paper presents a detailed analysis of the potential impact that stem cell therapy may have on the future of those who have acquired and suffer from HIV. Divided into four parts, the first part addresses the issue of genetic engineering, its weight on the
Similar to how the twentieth century was the era of prosperity of computing, the twenty-first century is the DNA era. The silicon age brought about remarkable changes in how we as a species think, operate and communicate. A chain reaction occurred, for with the advancements of the computer revolution, came the rise in the genetic revolution – a revolution that will indefinitely do for life what computing did for information. During this modernized age, we are on the brink of being able to transform, manipulate, and create organisms for any number of productive purposes. “From medicine, to agriculture, to construction and even computing, we are within reach of an age when manipulating the genetic codes of various organisms, or engineering entirely new organisms, promises to alter the way we relate to the natural world” (David Koepsell, 2007).
Biotechnology, particularly genetic engineering, is already a beneficial resource, employed in medicine. “Genetic engineering is the human altering of the genetic material of living cells to make them capable of producing new substances or performing new functions” (Gale, 2005). It has the potential to improve our health and well-being significantly, revolutionize our manner of living, help us to conserve limited resources, and produce new wealth. Provided that it is appropriately regulated, bearing in mind ethical concerns relating to dignity, harmful consequences, and justice, its potential benefits outweigh its harms. A specific technique of genetic engineering is stem cell therapy and for HIV infection, many different approaches using gene transfer to either limit virus replication or stimulate host immunity are in preclinical development.
This paper presents a detailed analysis of the potential impact that stem cell therapy may have on the future of those who have acquired and suffer from HIV. Divided into four parts, the first part addresses the issue of genetic engineering, its weight on the
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