What Are Disadvantages Of Transgenic Organisms?

A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.

Bacteria were the first organisms to be modified in the laboratory, due to their simple genetics.  These organisms are now used for several purposes, and are particularly important in producing large amounts of pure human proteins for use in medicine. Genetically modified bacteria are used to produce the protein insulin to treat diabetes. Similar bacteria have been used to produce clotting factors to treat hemophilia, and human growth hormone to treat various forms of dwarfism.

Transgenic animals are used as experimental models to perform phenotypic and for testing in biomedical research. Genetically modified animals are becoming more vital to the discovery and development of cures and treatments for many serious diseases. By altering the DNA or transferring DNA to an animal, we can develop certain proteins that may be used in medical treatment. Stable expressions of human proteins have been developed in many animals, including sheep, pigs, and rats.

However there have been no such disadvantages of genetically modified organisms proved on a scientific point of view. But there are always ethical protests placed on them. Firstly it’s said that genetically modified results in formation of transgenic plants and animals. So there may be a chance of loss of genetic diversity upon wide use of this process on particular species, if care is not taken to preserve genetic material of the original organisms.

Also artificial genetic modifications of a desired organism may result in simultaneous natural genetic or other modifications of an undesired organism. For example, on modifying a plant to be resistant to a particular disease-causing organism, the latter may acquire natural variations which may enable it to infect other plant species not previously infected. Furthermore some people complain that by modifying different agricultural plants to increase quantity, resistance etc. The natural taste of the food product somehow gets disrupted. However there is no scientific evidence to support these disadvantages.

Environmental Hazards:
-Unintended harm to other organisms, reduced effectiveness of pesticides and Gene transfer to non-target species.
-Some changes in environmental cycles (e.g, now insects can not eat its usual food, therefore needs to change it's food source.)

Human health risks:
-Such as Allergies, and unknown effects on human health from foreign genes.

Economic concerns:
- Bringing a genetically modified organisms to market is a lengthy and costly process. Exclusive rights and enforcement may also be difficult

Transgenic animals the main problems facing the

1 genetic breeding problems in the

1.1 integration of low efficiency and high cost: Northwestern Agricultural University, the money Ju Fen (1999) believe that this type of defect and transgenic and gene closely related to the leaders of the cell type, according to the natural and normal sperm-egg fertilization generally only to develop into an individual analysis of foreign genes into female or male reproductive cells, through artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization to produce transgenic animals may be more ideal. Integration of the general success rate of mice is only about 1% success rate of livestock did not exceed in mice. And integrating easily disappear from the genomic DNA and can not in any case continuous passage.
1.2 Expression of unsatisfactory: For example, pGH and rGH transgenic pigs to grow faster, while the role of hGH and bGH is not obvious. HGRF expression rate in sheep, only 14%. The same individual different organizations and different individuals of the same organization, the level of expression is very inconsistent.

1.3 GM to animals caused by insertional mutagenesis and functional disorders.

1.4 is very low survival rate of transgenic animals.

2 product safety issues

Viruses and other disease-causing genes in transgenic research, inevitably have some harmful genetically modified animals, such as causing cell dysfunction and death, people will worry that spread to the community. Such as bovine papilloma virus gene into mice, and sometimes its DNA from the chromosome away from down the cause of skin tumors.

3 The ethics of human cloning

    "Dolly," is born, some experts worried that the creation of "Dolly" technology may be used for human cloning. Then it was to imagine that cloning technology is mature, it should be first used to copy the great scientists, politicians and artists. American biologist Chad tin-Thomson actually make human cloning project. As a result put the broken family relationships, and sexual relations between chaos, and social norms and failure, and thus giving rise to some people's concerns, in the political, social and academic circles as well as the general public live in fear, which led to the great importance attached by Governments, for which Governments have made the appropriate decision-making.

A transgenic organism is a kind of organism that is genetically modified so that it contains a gene from various species. The new genes from another specie are inherited with the organism's own gene in the offspring. There can be many disadvantages of the Transgenic Organisms however, they are less as compared to advantages. There are lot of controversies regarding genetically modified food as they are seen to be unhealthy and harmful. They are also considered to be meddling in nature's law. As everything cannot be perfect. For details see the link below:Transgenic