The GM dilemma: extra links
Ebola vaccine, insulin and genetic modification resources
Last week I looked at the Ebola virus and its vaccine, used for the first time in the worst Ebola outbreak that the world has seen, in West Africa from 2014-2016. At the time, the speed with which the vaccine went through the testing and approval process was record-breaking, but the whole story of the vaccine’s development covers 20 years. There’s an in-depth article linked here that covers the whole story, with all the twists and turns that are part of any good history of scientific discovery. It’s well worth a read.
One of the methods of genetic modification that I talked about was the use of bacteria and yeasts to produce medicines. For a clear and simple overview of the process, here’s a series of diagrams showing how insulin is produced from genetically modified bacteria. Insulin was the first compound to be commercially produced in this way. To put that in perspective, here’s a brief overview of the history of insulin from the American Diabetes Association. For me, it was understanding how insulin was produced that made me begin to reconsider my own opposition to genetic modification.
If you are interested in a good general overview of genetic modification – what it is and how it is regulated – then this guide from New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment is well-worth a read. It’s a little old, but the basic information is still all relevant. There’s also an article from New Zealand’s Royal Society giving some background history on the potential uses of genetic modification in crop breeding. For an overseas perspective, this article from Colorado State University talks about the genetically modified crops grown in the USA.
See my next article (below) for more on genetically modified vaccines.
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Looking forward to the next one in the series. I'd like to read whether you think NZ should change its position on GMOs and how this could be encouraged