WHICH
ORGANISMS CAN BE GENETICALLY MODIFIED? AND
FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
There are many possible applications of genetic modification. The
existing technology offers the possibility of implanting genes from
virtually any living organism into virtually any other type of organism,
for the most wide-ranging purposes.
Some examples:
• The human genetic code for the production of insulin can
be built into microorganisms; a possibility used in pharmaceutics.
• The characteristic of a bacterium that enables it to degrade
a herbicide can be built into plants.
• Genes are implanted into cows and ewes, with the intention
that these animals produce specific pharmaceutical substances in
their milk for use in medicine.
• Atlantic salmon has the characteristic to grow more slowly
in the winter. In order to accelerate this growth, the genes of
the growth hormone derived from a faster growing type of fish are
implanted. This reduces the growing time by approximately 50%. |
