Section 3: Genetically Modified (GMOs) and Gene Therapy

Desired learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, the students must have:
1. determined the interrelatedness of society, environment, and health;
2. discussed the implications and future impacts of GMOs and gene therapy;
3. assessed issues concerning GMOs and Gene Therapy.

Lesson Proper

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOs)

o Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) can be defined as organisms in which the
genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that it does not occur naturally by
mating or natural recombination (www.hannover-re.com, 2020).
o Genes carry the information or the “recipe”, in the sequences and structures of DNA,
which gives the organism its specific characteristics. Genes can be added, removed or
changed, using modern biotechnology methods (SAASTA).
o In 1953, the discovery of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick opened the gates for
the countless possibilities of genetic engineering.
o In 1973, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen were the first scientists to genetically modify
an organism by combining genes from two different E.coli.
o In 1982, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first GMO-Humulin, a
type of insulin produced using genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to be available in
the market.
o The genetically modified tomato went to U.S. market on May 21, 1994 known as the
Flavr Savr. This transgenic tomato was no longer able to produce polygalacturonase
(PG), which is an enzyme involved in fruit softening, due to an deactivated gene.
Tomatoes are normally picked before ripening when they are still green and ripened
 artificially by ethylene treatment. The Flavr Savr tomatoes, however, are left to ripen on
the vine and still have a long shelf life, which was thought to allow them to develop their
full flavor (FABIO, 2015).

Source:
http://www.tomatocasuual.com/2008/02/28/what-ever-
happened-to-the-flavr-savr-genetically-engineered-tomato/
Figure 1

o In 1995, Bt Potatoes and Corn, and Roundup Ready Soybeans were approved safe by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

o In 2000, golden rice was developed in the Philippines to address vitamin A deficiency,
which is a public health issue in Asian countries where rice is a staple food crop. Golden
rice is a variety genetically modified to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of
vitamin A, in the edible parts of rice (Quinto, 2019).

Source:
https://theconversation.com/the-philippines-has-rated-
golden-rice-safe-but-farmers-might-not-plant-it-129956
Figure 2
 o Figure 2 shows the “Golden Rice” which is probably the world’s most hotly debated
genetically modified organism (GMO). It was intended to be a beta carotene-enriched
crop to reduce Vitamin A deficiency, a health problem in very poor areas. But it has
never been offered to farmers for planting (STONE, 2020)

How are GMOs useful to us?

o Food: Crops can be modified to have valuable characteristics such as tolerance to
drought and herbicides, resistance to disease and insects, as well as improved nutritional
content.
o Medicine. Insulin as a treatment for diabetes was the first commercial healthcare product
produced by GMOs.
o GMOs can produce other medicines such as growth hormone.
o GMOs are used in current vaccines such as Hepatitis B (produced by yeast), and new
vaccines are being developed using GMO technology. In the future, plants may even be
engineered to contain the vaccines so that we may be able to eat our vaccinations rather
go for an injection.
o Textiles: GM cotton has been created to be resistant to insect attack to improve the yield
of the crop.

Benefits
1. Farmers can use less pesticide on insect-resistant GM plants.
2. GM crops are better protected by, and are not so susceptible to diseases, insects and
herbicides, allowing a more consistent yield.
3. Higher yields of crops.
4. Costs are potentially saved through a reduced need for pesticides and/or herbicides.
Risks/Limitations
1. The toxic effects of insect resistant plants could potentially also kill beneficial insects
such as bees.
2. Insect resistant or herbicide tolerant crops can potentially cause the development of
harmful pest resistance plants, or so-called “superweeds”.
 3. Farmers using GM seeds have to pay a technology fee to the supplier.
4. GM crops are patented, and farmers may not retain seed for breeding purposes.

Although the safety of GM products is tested in intense, short term studies, the long term effects
on health of GM food consumption is not established (SAASTA).
To date, the production and consumption of GMOs are being argued upon due to their safety
alongside the right of humans to modify naturally occurring organisms. New organisms created
using genetic engineering can pose ecological issues because the long-term effects of genetic
engineering to the environment is uncertain. GMOs may cause imbalance in the ecology of a
region just as what exotic species do (Quinto, 2019).

GENE THERAPY
o Gene therapy is a technique that uses genetic material (a piece of DNA) for the long-term
treatment of genetic disorders (uniQure, 2016).
o Method of inserting genes or nucleic acid into cells as a drug to treat genetic diseases. In
1972, Theodore Friedman and Richard Roblin proposed that people with genetic
disorders can be treated by replacing defective DNA with good DNA (Quinto, 2019).
o In 1985, Dr. W. French Anderson and Dr. Michael Blasse worked together to show that
cells of patients with Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency can be corrected in tissue.
o In 1990, the first approved gene therapy clinical research took place at the National
Institutes of Health under the team of Dr. Anderson.
o In 1993, the first somatic treatment that produced a permanent genetic change was
performed.
o The first commercial gene therapy product Gendicine was approved in China in 2003 for
the treatment of certain cancers. Due to some clinical succeses since 2006, gene therapy
gained greater attention from researchers but was still considered as san experimental
technique.
o In 2016, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European
Medicines Agency (EMA) endorsed the gene therapy treatment called Strimvelis that was
approved by the European Commission in June 2018.
How does Gene Therapy work?
A healthy gene is inserted into a carrier, called
vector, and transferred to the affected cells,
either inside or outside the body.
Figure 3 shows the transfer of therapeutic genes
to the targeted cells is described on the reverse
side (uniQure, 2016).

Source: http://www.uniqure.com/pipeline/clinical-programs/
The Basic Process Figure 3
There are several approaches to a gene
therapy. These are these following (Pawilen, 2018):
1. Replacement of mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene.
2. Inactivation of a mutated gene that is functioning improperly.
3. Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight disease.
In general, a gene therapy cannot be directly inserted into a human gene or cell, a gene is inserted
into another gene using a carrier or vector. At present, the most common type of vectors are
viruses that have been genetically changed to carry normal human DNA. Viruses have evolved a
way of encapsulating and transporting their genes to human cells in a pathogenic manner
(Pawilen, 2018).
Potential advantages of gene therapy
o Gene therapy can potentially be used to treat genetic disorders with single or few
administrations rather than frequent dosing, improving quality of life and reducing the
need for physician visits.
o Gene therapy also offers the potential to specifically target the affected tissues within the
body.
IS GENE THERAPY SAFE?
o Gene therapy is primarily an experimental technology and, as such, is highly regulated
and carefully monitored to maximize patient safety.
o Depending on the type of gene therapy used, potential risks can include unwanted
immune reactions and the formation of tumors. The effects of current gene therapy
 approaches are limited to the treated patient’s cells. Modified genes are not passed on
from one generation to the next.

Synthesis
Various concerns in genetic engineering arise, making gene therapy and GMOs very
controversial innovations in science and technology. Other support that it is unethical for humans
to havee in genetically altering and engineering organisms.
Genetic engineering also poses problems in agriculture. Hence, there is a need to study
the ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems.Futher researches as well as
the clinical experiments to outline functional mechanisms, predictive approaches, patient-related
studies, and upcoming challenges should be done to address existing problems in the
development of and to acquire future perspectives in gene therapy.