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19.6 Genetic technology and medicine - Coggle Diagram
19.6 Genetic technology and medicine
Products specific to humans made by other organisms
Factor VIII
Not present in haemophiliacs
Gene for Factor VIII inserted into hamster kidney cells
Kidney cells cultured in fermenters
Factor VIII extracted and purified
No risks unlike donated blood (can have infections such as HIV)
ADA
Enzyme breaks down substance toxic to T-cells
Lack of enzyme due to faulty allele results in weakened immune system
Genetic screening
Testing for the presence of a particular allele
Couples are tested for heterozygosity of recessive diseases
If they both carry, they are advised to undergo IVF so a biopsy can be done on the embryo to test for this disease
Women are tested for faulty alleles of BRCA (genes coding for proteins inhibiting breast cancer)
Prenatal screening
Amniocentesis
15-16 weeks
Sample of amniotic fluid
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
10-13 weeks
Part of placenta removed via needle
Procedure monitored via ultrasound
Gene therapy
Screening of foetus for genetic diseases after extraction from maternal blood
Insertion of correct allele into stem cells taken from bone marrow, via vector such as virus
Stem cells reinserted into blood
Issues
Screening
People may abort simply because foetus is not desired sex, may lead to imbalance in population sex ratio
In cases such as Huntington's, people may never even develop the disease, and screening causes unnecessary stress
May seem pointless for diseases with no cure
Therapy
May have side effects
Viral vector randomly inserts gene, creating oncogene and causing cancer
Immune system responds to viral vector or new protein produced
Limited impact
Diseases caused by dominant alleles cannot be fixed
New allele not always expressed
Genetically modified cells have limited lifespan and soon die off