Genetic Engineering and the Future
Knott, G. J., & Doudna, J. A. (2018). CRISPR-Cas guides the future of genetic engineering. Science, 361(6405), 866-869.
The articles central focus is on the basic mechanism that makes up the CRISPR-Cas toolkit (CRISPR-Cas design tools are software platforms and bioinformatics tools built to facilitate the design of guide RNAs for use with the CRISPR/Cas system). beside other programmable technologies used to edit genes, discussing the various evolved systems functioning as biotechnologies. The article focuses on the fast-evolving application of the CRISPR-Cas landscape starting from editing genes to the regulation of transcription, imaging, and diagnostics. This work is thoroughly researched and contains facts well demonstrated.
Long, S. P., Marshall-Colon, A., & Zhu, X. G. (2015). Meeting the global food demand of the future by engineering crop photosynthesis and yield potential. Cell, 161(1), 56-66.
There is a continued exploration in the rising approaches that are very potent in improving the efficiency of photosynthesis in crops as well as the new tools required to acknowledge these changes. Photosynthesis has been improved in very few crops something that needs to be accelerated due to increasing demand for food by the increasing population in the world. These approaches include but are not limited to, optimization of regeneration of Rubp (ribulose bisphosphate, a 5 carbon compound involved in the Calvin cycle, which is part of the light independent reactions of photosynthesis) and the addition of pyrenoid CO2 concentrating systems, the addition of cyanobacterial carboxysome and many other editing systems.
Naldini, L. (2019). Genetic engineering of hematopoiesis: current stage of clinical translation and future perspectives. EMBO molecular medicine, 11(3).
Naldini reviews the scientific background, the current state of development and future development in the field of biotechnology. Naldini points his focus on the manipulation of the hematopoietic stem cells genetically. It focuses mainly on the clinical application of this approach. Hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy is a technique used to treat human diseases. This technique involves engineering a particular person’s cells ex vivo to favor their engraftment in the bone marrow. Not only is Naldini well versed in his explanation but he also points his focus to the possible failures and unwanted products of this developing technology.
Long, S. P., Marshall-Colon, A., & Zhu, X. G. (2015). Meeting the global food demand of the future by engineering crop photosynthesis and yield potential. Cell, 161(1), 56-66.
This article focuses on reviewing the achievements in the field of agriculture and still focuses on the future of genetic engineering in the field of agriculture. In the last decades, the farmer used to select planting materials for them. In the 20TH century, these local cultivars were replaced by few cultivars which have high yielding potential and this action endangered there wild species. To secure the future of plant breeding, situ and ex situ conservation and plant genetic resources are vital. The future of crop improvement will depend on the three approaches: mutation breeding, CIS genesis, and gene editing; genetically modified crops and hybridization, base broadening and introgression. The research done and compiled by the authors takes the topic head on and links both the agricultural and human development side of this topic.
Metzl, J. (2019). Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Sourcebooks, Inc…
Metzl calls for immediate dialogue to evaluate and understand what is to be human in his work. The book includes the four clinics in China that assisted to genetically analyze their embryo so that the baby can be borne gene disorder free. This process is referred to as preimplantation genetic testing. He talks of further optimizing embryos genetically for example to increase strength or intelligence. Generally, the book is about the implication of genetic engineering to society. The global regulatory structure should be built to preserve genetic engineering. This source is backed up with evidence showing how genuine it is, creating a vivid description. It draws slight comparisons to the novel “Brave New World” written by Aldous Huxley
http://magazine.ivy.com/2017/03/genetic-engineering-jamie-metzl/
The sources argument is that soon we will have an intelligent family, community or country and this will be achieved by selecting only embryos with the highest IQ and implanting them in the mother. He argues that in about 3 years genetic engineers will be able to sequence the DNA of 5 old day baby to estimate tallness. Besides the interesting future clearly described; the risks are not well known, and more research is definitely needed. The main focus from the source is to be wary of how this developing technology is used and what the future holds by turning its development into an “arms race”.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424553/
The purpose of the present chapter is to consider the “prospects,” that is, how genetic engineering might be used in the future in agricultural crops. That includes speculation about future genetic-engineering technologies. The emerging technologies in the field of genetic engineering which includes genome editing and synthetic biology and the techniques might improve crops in the future. It also focuses on “–omics” (epigenomics, transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) approaches to evaluate their ability to assess effects (intended and unintended) of conventional plant breeding and genetic engineering. The information from this source is detailed for easy understanding