Genetic engineering

On 60 minutes last night there was a segment on genetic engineering

Part one was about growing body parts from scratch. A rat's heart had been grown from a few cells from the host, grown totally outside of the body then reattached to the rat. They have successfully done this with a human, not the heart but the bladder of a woman who had lost the use of her old one. The bladder was grown then transplanted back into the woman, it was a success and without the bladder she would have died.

Part 2 was much more controversial in that they were injecting human genes into lamb foetus, the resultant lamb was 15% human, they then intended to take body parts from the lamb and transplant them into humans kill off the lamb portion and let the human part grow and replace the lamb portion

How should we view this? its here and happening today as one professor said its not decades away but years before this becomes common practice

I'm going to quote Jeff Goldbloom's character from Jurassic park at this juncture.

"Yeah but John, you're scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should"

I'm mixed about this. On the one hand, you have it's pure medical use, for people who have had unfortunate illnesses etc and would most likely die without a new organ. I doubt anyone here could rationally argue in a real world setting to anyone right to life through whatever medical technology could save them, as long as no one else was suffering as the cost. Maybe a few rats or pigs, but that is another debate entirely.

The flipside to this is where it will stop. Like plastic surgery being used originally for people who had been in serious accidents or born with birth defects...but not it's used by anyone who can afford it to alter their bodies as they see fit.

I'm not even going to bring religion or God into this, because it should have nothing to do with that, but I'm trying to imagine the worst case scenario for this kind of technology.

Children being given other people's brains one day, like companies who specialize in giving your child the brain of a genius who has long since died. Or the heart of a gold medal winning athelete.

I just don't know. I'm only 29, but already I think I'm starting to become kinda set in my generational ways. We have amazing medical possibilities that are now commonly accepted as positive that would have been throw out of court 40 years ago. Perhaps we're not ready yet, socially for this kind of advancement.

Using animals for this is wrong because they have no say in the matter.

If they can grow body parts outside the body and from scratch then fine as long as they are given consent to do so.

But they should not use animals.

I find it funny how in 20 years, celebrities would abuse their bodies, and quickly use a spare heart, liver or even stomach. And not care about the animals that get abused by this.

I find genetic engineering revolutionary, however down the line, it'll be abused...

"If they can grow body parts outside the body and from scratch then fine as long as they are given consent to do so.

But they should not use animals."

^^
That really did make me laugh out loud. So... do you think they will form a human heart out of clay and breathe on it and it will come to life? Come on people???

Ok, its fine to stand back and analyse this being so far removed from it - but what if it was your dad or your brother that needed a heart and they had been on the waiting list for the last 2 years waiting for someone who matched their blood group to come along and die in an accident that left the heart useable... and their time was running out... would this suddenly be acceptable?

Dont get me wrong, Im an animal lover of note. I dont agree with a rabbit's anus being used to test what shade of lipstick is more marketable or how long it stays on, but at the end of the day if you could chose between your garden pet the rabbit, or your brother surviving past the end of the month... which would you choose?

Yes it can be abused - as can everything, but in the meantime if it can save thousands of lives... is it so bad? When last did YOU head to the pound and save a dog on deathrow because the life of the dog was more important to you than what your mother/wife/boyfriend etc thought about having pets in the house? If you had such convictions towards the equal opportunities of animals... then what are you doing about it?

Dont get all high and mighty - people dont complain about using current medicines and technology to stop them and their loved ones dying, but they forget all too easily the research that had to go into that medicine a decade ago to make it happen. Or would you rather they practiced their "ideas" and "speculations" on your loved ones? Anyone wish to volunteer themselves to medicine??... no?

Thought not.

^Using animals for this is wrong because they have no say in the matter.^

Are you a vegetarian or a member of PETA?

People do many things to animals, like eat them........we have many places where animal populations are out of control and they are just killed off to control the population. Why not use them to save a life?

Mo, Awesome response and I totally agree.

What would someone say if it was their child, mother, brother, sister, husband or wife? To that I would just say that I believe a human life is much more valuable than an animal's. I can't imagine what you guys have to say about stem cell research!

Rachel I al;so agree ^ as long as its monitored and done under strict guidelines, I don't think there is anyway of stopping it, anyway its to late for that, its already happening. If we try, backyard operations will always spring up, for example the body part trade is massive better that they are least Monitored. As for using animals, well as Mo said we've been doing it for years in fact ever since they were first domesticated we've been growing and eating them, is this any different?, so long as its humane and beneficial to us, .....go for it I say!

Here are some interesting links:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/19/health/main4615769.shtml?source=search_story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/22/sunday/main3960219.shtml?source=search_story

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0YUG/is_7_16/ai_n17212525

They are still researching......they need scaffolding for the cells. I read they are going to test if the cells can be used to "patch" or "repair" damaged tissues and organs. Looks like the powder did the trick on that guys finger! Amazing!!! And it only took 4 weeks! Just think of all the possibilities with some optimism!

I heard somewhere scientists have DNA from a Mammoth and are thinking of impregnating an elephant with it! The purpose and/or benefit of that I don't know.......I'd rather see them join forces with the ones who are trying to improve/save human lives.