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“the greatest medical breakthrough in our or in any lifetime”

Ron Reagan, an advocate of about stem cell research, who spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

The prospect of genetically modifying an organism’s DNA has many applications in the medical world. Genetic engineering technologies, particularly embryonic stem-cell research, was described as the “greatest medical breakthrough in our or in any lifetime” by Ron Reagan at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. In the biomedical industry, many diseases presently regarded as hopeless may be able to be cured. Reagan went on to say: “Now, we may be able to put an end to this suffering. We only need to try."

There are many applications of genetic engineering in medicine and healthcare alone. Click the links below to explore them:

Case Disease: Cancer

Cancer is a collection of mutated cells. Cures for cancer currently involve early detection and drug therapy. There are two genes that are closely related to cancers. DNA-PK normally repairs damaged genes. P53 prevents damaged genes from reproducing. In the event either of these genes is missing or malformed, the probability a person will develop cancer increases. Genetic engineering can be used to correct these genes.

Currently, researchers can insert “oncogenes,” cancer causing genes, into mice, which induces human cancer. Harvard was the first to do this in the mid 1980’s. Developing drugs can then be tested on these mice.

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