Recombinant DNA technology combines DNA from two sources to create a new molecule, which can be cloned for therapeutic or reproductive purposes. It has potential uses in medicine, agriculture, and environmental monitoring, but is controversial due to ethical concerns.
Recombinant DNA technology is a technology that allows DNA to be produced by artificial means. The procedure has been used to edit DNA in living organisms and may have even more practical uses in the future. It is an area of medical science that is just beginning to be researched in a concerted effort.
This technology works by taking DNA from two different sources and combining it into one molecule. This alone, however, won’t help much. It only becomes useful when that artificially created DNA is reproduced, in a process known as DNA cloning.
There are two main types of cloning for which recombinant DNA technology is used: therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Most people are familiar with reproductive cloning, which will produce an organism with the exact genetic information of an already existing one. This has already been done with some animals. Dolly, a sheep, was the first mammal to be reproduced as an exact genetic copy. Therapeutic cloning is used to reproduce certain tissues or organs, not an entire organism.
The use of recombinant DNA technology for therapeutic cloning purposes offers many potential benefits. For example, a cancerous organ could be replaced with a new one made from a patient’s DNA. This would likely help reduce the organ rejection that sometimes occurs when a tissue transplant is performed. If a heart is damaged, it could even be replicated using this technology. While these applications may be years away from practical use, they are possibilities.
Additionally, there are a number of other uses for recombinant DNA technology. It can help make crops more resistant to heat and drought and can also be used to create plants with genes that repel harmful insects. In these cases, it would be as if the plant had a built-in insecticide or repellent, reducing the need for humans to handle harmful chemicals.
Currently, technology involving DNA has grabbed the headlines when it has been used on animals, either to create identical copies of the same animal or to create entirely new species. One of these new species is the GloFish, a type of fish that appears to glow with a bright fluorescent colour. While they’ve become a popular aquarium fish, they have other uses as well, and scientists hope to use them to help detect polluted waterways, for example.
Recombinant DNA technology is not accepted by some people, especially social conservatives who believe that technology is a slippery slope to devalue the uniqueness of life. Also, because some DNA work involves the use and destruction of embryos, it attracts even more controversy. However, proponents of the technology say the ultimate goal is to benefit human life, not destroy it.
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