Information Science revolutionizes Genetics
Anargyros Berdekas – Student Number 461472 – aberdekas1993@gmail.com
Information Science has delivered explosive advances in all of human life with its world-changing contributions to the emergence of new technologies. Now, Information Science proves once more its scientific vitality and intellectual vigour, by spearheading a revolution in Genetic Engineering.
As it frequently is the case, Medicine requested the contribution of Information Science as a scientific equivalent of a last-minute firefighter: After many years of lingering problems in genetic manipulation techniques and growing regulatory and political threats, the entire field of genetic engineering was threatened with a dead end. First, the growing tide of demagoguery and political extremism against Genetically Modified Organisms created severe political problems hampering the advancement of Genetics. Second, the intrusive and aggressive nature of many scientific tools employed in DNA engineering was creating gradually increasing concerns inside the scientific community in terms of the unintended fallout that such methods might have. Yet, the problems confronted by genetic engineering became even worse, when socio-political actors and groups of scientists started targeting and boycotting corporations and institutions associated with GMO research and commercialization. These corporations provide the lion’s share of Research and Development funding for genetic engineering, thus making the commercial boycotts of such firms an existential threat against many scientific institutions depending on the private sector for life-sustaining financing.
However, Information Science in the last year has produced novel genetic engineering techniques and innovative DNA manipulation instruments promising to break the deadlock reached by Genetics and revolutionize the entire scientific field. The joint effort of biologists, computer scientists and electrical engineers working in commercial and non-profit institutions in China and the United States has yielded CRISPR. This is an effective, easy-to-perform and highly-controllable genetic manipulation method allowing for a well-targeted intervention in the DNA of organisms that researchers desire to modify. Moreover, CRISPR facilitates the option for genetic engineering to alter certain parts of an organism’s DNA without the distortions caused on DNA by the procedures traditional manipulation methods. Indeed, this new technique offers such a non-intrusive and effective procedure for Genetics that the United States regulatory bodies do not require organisms processed with CRISPR to conform to the regulations demanded of traditional GMOs. What’s more, despite the very young age of CRISPR as a technology, already corporations and research institutes are benefiting from the immense potential of CRISPR by producing with much lower cost than before organisms with genetic properties almost impossible to achieve with the older genetic engineering tools, due to their difficulty and high costs. Specifically, in the United Kingdom plants have been successfully modified in a manner making them more resistant against harmful diseases and insects.. Also, American scientists have managed to utilize CRISPR in order to genetically edit many commercially popular products like soybeans and produce new varieties of them with properties allowing for their easier production by farmers and major savings in water consumption during the farming process. In China, similarly novel products have been produced, catering for more accessible food by the populations in the provinces along the Russian-Chinese border.
Yet, despite these major innovations and cost-savings CRISPR offers, political factors emerge again as a threat. The European Union, traditionally over-zealous to regulate – and frequently ban – the commercial products of Genetic Engineering, has already initiated a revision of its previous regulatory framework in order to enforce restricting regulations on CRISPR and its gene-editing innovations. However, more positive signs are emitted by the regulatory bodies of the United States and China, where commercial products based on CRISPR-edited organisms have been allowed to enter the market without needing to meet the regulations imposed on traditional GMOs. Thus, Information Science, through CRISPR, offers a serious window of hope to Genetics, as a science and as a business, to acquire new momentum and deliver world-changing innovations and products.
I believe that this post touches on an aspect of a very high importance – the future of genetic engineering fuelled by the developments of information technology. The post clearly explains the development and benefits of new genetic engineering revolution.
However, the post is biased in favour of unlimited development of genetic engineering. Criticism over this technology is not only based on exaggerated worries of Brussels bureaucracy, but also on various bioethical concerns raised all over the world. The technology has been already labelled as “playing God”. It’s not difficult to imagine how it could be used in wrong hands, for instance artificial genome editing in humans. In the future it is possible that CRISPR could be used to endow children with traits that can’t be screened for and aren’t medically necessary, like intelligence or athleticism.
Dear Tomasz,
First, I am thankful to you for your comment and for devoting part of your time to read my post.
However, I am also obliged to say that I do indeed support “unlimited development” of genetic engineering and, as a matter of personal moral convictions, I support the unlimited development of any form of science or technology. For me, “unlimited development of genetic engineering” doesn’t mean unlimited power to manipulate genetics, but rather the maturing of genetic engineering into a science that also has full knowledge of its potential dangers. Moreover, my desire with this article and my sharp language against the opponents of genetic engineering isn’t so much in favour of “unlimited development”, but rather in favour of removing the current limits placed on the development of genetic engineering by populists, demagogues and politicians. The current limits aren’t limits promoted by wise bioethicists or philosophers well-versed in the intricacies of human ethics. Actually, the limits placed by the EU and many national governments are the result of a medieval-like side of human nature that always fears and demonizes science instead of attempting to understand it and improve it. To me, the demonization of genetic engineering is the same like the church-sponsored burning on fire of 15th century scientists daring to explore astrophysics or chemistry. To cut the long story short, although I respect your disagreement with my support for “unlimited development of genetic engineering”, I humbly insist on supporting this unlimited development. Please, check also this interesting article by world leading scientists condemning the demonization of GMOs: https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/06/30/107-nobel-laureates-greenpeace-stick-science-gmos-dont-block-golden-rice/
Dear Anargyros,
first of all thank you for your reply! Indeed, the article which you provided is both interesting and surprising for me. In general I support development of biotechnology, genetic engineering and finding new ways of applications of our current discoveries. However, I still would like to stress the importance of safety regulations and bioethics. For instance war is an excellent time for scientific research, since involved countries allocated lots of resources to science and ethical concerns are of less importance. Hence it doesn’t surprise that the second world war was one of the best period for science, especially in the Third Reich, where Germans were free to experiment without consent of patients – actually to do harm in many cases. While these examples are far fetched and not relevant to genetic engineering, they embody the problem of limitations and control of scientific research. That’s something more relevant to the topic http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/11558305/China-shocks-world-by-genetically-engineering-human-embryos.html
But thank you again for your insight I believe that now I am more convinced that GMO itself isn’t any kind of evil and complete restrictions set on it in the EU do more harm than good.