Biotechnology can change our planet's future

By, Muhamad Nabeel Uddin

Biotechnology is the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by
various industries to help in the improvement of the value of materials and organism such
pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock (ASC-Chemistry for life). Biotechnology is not a new
concept. It can be dated back to more than 6000 years ago (Biotechnology Industry
Organization) when man first began to breed and domesticate plants and animals. However,
modern biotechnology involves more genetic engineering, where an organism's genome is
altered. Because of this technology, Biotechnology may allow man to reshape the future of his
planet. We may very well be able to reduce the imminent threat global climate change by
modifying organisms so that they are better adapted to survive in their ecosystems, and improve
quality of agricultural crops and livestock. With Genetic engineering, we may even be able to
extend our lives, either by improving our diet and health care, or by genetic engineering. The
future certainly looks bright every time a new discovery is made in the felid of genetics.
There are numerous impacts that climate change has on plants; both agricultural crops
and those in their natural ecosystem. Warmer temperatures due to climate change may reduce
yields from crops (EPA, USGCRP 2009). Extreme temperatures and high precipitation can
prevent crops from growing. In 2008, it was estimated that farmers lost about USD $8 billion due
to the Mississippi flood in USA (Karl, T.R. et al, USGCRP, 2009). Climate change also allow
more pest and fungal infections to affect plants due to high humidity, which simply exacerbate
the problems faced by the agricultural sector. However, with the use of genetic engineering, the
problems mentioned above, and those not mentioned here, can be reduced. One example is that
through genetic engineering, crops can be modified to produce toxins against best, e.g. Bt corn.
This plant has a gene from bacteria that was inserted into the plant, so that the plant will produce
the toxin. When insect pests feed on this plant, the ingest the toxin and die. Furthermore, plants
can be genetically engineered to resist drought, or high salinity. This is certainly an effective way
in which we can mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture .
The second way, in which biotechnology can reshape the future of our lives on this
planet, is by improving our health. From a world population of about three hundred million (300
million) 2000 years ago, the population of humans is currently over 7 billion (UMAC 2011). The
major reason noted for this exponential increase can be attributed to an improvement in health
care, for example antibiotics, cleaner drinking water and better agricultural practice to improve
food production . What we do not need for the future, is a continuous increase in human
population, but an increase in equitable distribution of health care and improvement in what is
currently available. Scientist are already touting the possibility of increasing the average life span
of humans. Gene manipulation in mice has shown that their life expectancy can be increased by
up to 20 % (Arking DE et al. 2005). An even more shocking prediction is that human life can be
extended up to 500 to 1000 years using genetic engineering (James W. Curtsinger, Ph.D, 2007).
One of the major threats we as humans once again face, is the rising level of antibiotic resistance
of pathogenic bacteria. About "70% of known bacteria have developed resistance to one or more
drugs. In Europe, some 25,000 people die each year as a result of drug resistance" (Kevin
Grogan, 2013). The problem does not stop with humans. Agricultural plants are also being
affected. Global climate change is only exacerbating the situation further. Could biotechnology
be our way out? It is possible to use genetic engineering to create transgenic plants that are
resistant to fungal and bacterial infections (Dilip M Shaw, 1997). Another way, in which
biotechnology can help us, is by causing lost body parts to regenerate. One example would be to
grow human retina using stem cell (Yoshiki Sasai, 2012). How about producing transgenic pigs
to transplant the pig's heart to humans, so that those patients do not have to wait for donors
anymore? (Klymiuk N et al. 2010).

Gene therapy also is a promising field in genetics that
promised to treat many genetic disorders such as sickle celled anemia. The list of benefits to the
general health of human population with the aid of biotechnology is indeed very long one.
Human life would never be the same again, once these technologies are fully studied and made
available to patients at low cost.
One of the most powerful effects of genetic engineering and biotechnology is that it has
the power to improve the quality of life of every human being. We would soon be able to
improve human biological and psychological capabilities. We may be able to save our planet
from the disastrous effects climate change. Our lives could be changed forever and humans
would never be the same. Certainly, the ethics involved in the use of biotechnology must not be
ignored, but the benefits overshadow the negatives. The "magical future" awaits man.


References
1. What is Biotechnology? Biotechnology industry Organization, 2013.
http://www.bio.org/node/517

2. Bt Corn. Syngenta, 2013.
http://www.syngenta.com/global/corporate/en/products-and-innovation/research-and-
development/biotechnology/Pages/biotechnology-bt-corn.aspx

3. World Population. UMAC: Upper Middle West Aerospace Consortium, 2011)
http://www.umac.org/ocp/CausesofGrowth/info.html

4. Arking DE, Atzmon G, Arking A, Barzilai N, Dietz HC. Association between a functional variant of
the Klotho gene and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, stroke, and longevity. Circ
Res. 2005;96(4):412-8.

5. Genes, Aging, and Prospects for Extended Life Span. James W. Curtsinger, Ph.D, 2007.
http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/PastIssues/PastIssues2007/October2007/ClinicalCurtsingerOctober2
007.aspx

6. Kevin Grogan, 07th, November 2013. Antibiotic resistance on a par with terrorism threat.
http://www.pharmatimes.com/article/13-11-7/Antibiotic_resistance_on_a_par_with_terrorism_threat.aspx

7. Genetic engineering for fungal and bacterial diseases. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 1997,
8:208214. Dilip M. Shaw.
http://www.ufv.br/dbv/pgfvg/BVE684/htms/pdfs_revisao/estresse/diseases.pdf

8. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-grow-retina-from-stem-cells

9. Genetic modification of pigs as organ donors for xenotransplantation.
Klymiuk N, Aigner B, Brem G, Wolf E. Mol Reprod Dev. 2010 Mar;77(3):209-21. doi:
10.1002/mrd.21127.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19998476