Conference paper
COULD WE PROGRAMME HUMAN LIFE AND HEALTH
Krešimir Pavelić
; Department of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb
Abstract
In this paper the author presents latest achievements of contemporary technology and science, in the field of biomedicine, as well as potentially hazardous aspects related to activities in molecular medicine: decoding of the humane genome, pre–implantation diagnosis of serious hereditary diseases, gene therapy, pre–symptom diagnostics of malign diseases, the production of transgenic organisms and cloning of organisms.
The development of science, especially of molecular medicine, creates new possibilities in diagnosing and monitoring various diseases, as well as increasing the life expectancy. Recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering makes the manipulation with the hereditary material – genes, possible. Genes can be altered, changed, fixed and transplanted. Nowadays, the so–called pre–symptom cancer, or of some other disease, risk diagnosing becomes a reality. The tendency toward particular malign tumours encrypted in the human genome can be diagnosed by special molecular and genetic methods, before symptoms of the disease manifest themselves (even before the disease itself manifests). Great opportunities have been made available also by the technology of cell nuclei transplantation, used with cloning of mammals. It is a question about the procedure by which whole of the cell nucleus genetic material is implanted within the donor cell, out of which its nucleus has been previously removed.
All these, as well as the coming technological breakthroughs, represent a solid basis for the assertion that health condition, as well as life of an individual, can be programmed in the foreseeable future. It depends on us if this programming will be rational and used for the purpose exclusively for the human well–being.
Keywords
cancer; cloning for the purpose of treatment; gene therapy; human health programming; life expectancy; programming of life
Hrčak ID:
141737
URI
Publication date:
15.5.2000.
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