Recombinant DNA Technology
What is it?
Recombinant DNA Technology creates an artificial type of DNA, known as recombinant DNA (rDNA), by cutting up DNA molecules and joining together fragments from more than one organim.
How is it Used?
Like a lot of new science technology, Recombinant DNA Technology can be used for "good" and, unfortunately, "bad" purposes. Views of what is good or bad is different from person to person, so the views for the following examples may differ.
Good
- Improved Medicines
- Improved Livestock (few or no diseases)
- Improved Crops (few or no diseases, increased produciton)
- Prevention of Genetic Diseases
- Lowering the cost of medicines
- Safer Medicines
- Treatment for pre-existing conditions (like cancer)
Bad
- Safety Concerns (viruses developing antibiotic resistance)
- Environmental Concerns (like developing resistance to fungi)
- Ethical dilemmas over human treatment (i.e. are we playing God?)
- Potential for Experimental abus (doctors using patients as test subjects)
- Germline treatment going from treating diseases to a method for picking the traits you want in a child (i.e. specifying hair and eye color)