Currently viewing the category: "genetic engineering"

Genetic Enginablement

By On · Add Comment · In carbohydrates, DNA-PK, fats, gene, genetic engineering, natural selection

Move over, Darwin. Natural selection is sooooo yesterday. The future is in artificial selection–you know, genetic engineering. That’s right, you want a blue-eyed baby? No problem. Five pound strawberries–no problem. Cloned meat products? Yes. And now there may be a genetic solution to indolence. Intrigued? Read on.

Scientists at UC Berkeley have found a gene that is responsible for turning carbohydrates into fat. The gene, called DNA-PK, works in the liver, regulating the conversion of sugars into fats. What this means is that that silly little process of turning low energy carbs into higher energy triglycerides is controlled by this one simple gene. Mice bred with a disabled version of the gene were able to eat large portions of carbohydrate meals–the equivalent of the all-you-can-eat-pasta bar–and still have 40% less body fat when compared to a control group of normal mice. And the implications for humans? The researcher team thinks it might be a great target for new drugs to help prevent obesity.

Modern science never ceases to amaze me. Think about it, you can eat all you want–pizza, Ding Dongs, Fig Newtons for days–and not gain an ounce. What do you think? Brilliant, yes? Forget that our genetic makeup is the product of billions of years of evolution. Forget that natural selection is the selection of favorable traits that become more common in successive generations. And forget that there might be an evolutionary advantage to turning low energy carbohydrates into higher energy fats–trivialities all. What matters is that we can manipulate nature–Ta-Da!–cuz we can. Reminds me of that joke about why a dog licks his nards. Silly humans.

Stem Cell Cancer

By On · Add Comment · In ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), brain, genetic engineering, stem cells

What holds the greatest promise for a disease-free future? Well, if you’ve guessed stem cells, then you certainly know your panacea. Yes, these miraculous little cell line precursors are a shoo-in to rid the world of such maladies as Alzheimer’s, depression and cancer.

But not so fast my little genetic engineering groupies–there’s a hidden danger within the nano-confines of the micropipette. According to a recent story, a family desperate to save their son from a lethal brain disease sought highly experimental injections of fetal stem cells, which triggered tumors in the boy’s brain and spinal cord.

The boy was suffering from ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), a fatal neurodegenerative disease of the brain that ultimately leads to loss of coordination of movement. Because the disease also affects the immune system, frequent infections and cancer can also result. His parents took him Russia when he was nine, and it was in a Moscow clinic where he received the stem cell injections into his brain and spinal cord. He received subsequent injections at 10 and 12 years old.

The boy began suffering greater symptoms of incoordination as well as headaches. While under observation in a Tel Aviv hospital, doctors found two cancerous growths pushing on his brain stem and spinal cord. Doctors at Tel Aviv University removed the growths and found the cells to have both male and female cells present, as well as two normal copies of the A-T genes, which led them to conclude that they were the result of the injected stem cells. Yeesh.

Lot’s of red flags arise with this story. First, stem cell research is in its infancy. Much of its promise is currently a dream; nothing definitive in the science yet. Just because they can clone goats, doesn’t mean they know how to safely use stem cell lines for any medical treatment yet.

Second, if chasing an experimental treatment, wouldn’t it make sense to first determine if said treatment is indicated for your particular condition? Dr. Marius Wernig of Stanford University pointed out that A-T is not a disease conducive to stem cell therapy, so what the hacks in Moscow were thinking (besides where they were going to drink their money) is anyone’s guess.

And finally, if you are going to get a new and highly uncertain treatment done, don’t do it outside the U.S. We’ve got the best medicine in the world here; why go to Russia, Brazil, or the Philippines for a pipe dream? At least someone in this country might be held accountable (well, I guess we’ll see what happens to Octomom Doc, anyway).

Although the boy in the story survived, there are still important points to be made: Genetic engineering is serious business, and it is not to be taken lightly. There is so much we do not know about the science, despite how freely it is discussed by laymen, politicians and the media. We have an incredible responsibility with this technology, and although we should look into its promise to “cure disease,” this story proves that the dark side of genetic tampering can be more than just ideological.

Money Talks

By On · Add Comment · In advantages, cloned, designer babies, genetic engineering, Japanese crime boss, liver transplant, money, stem cell research, University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center

This story caught my eye the other day, and seeing it on the front page of the L.A. Times today, I just couldn’t resist. The Times reports that the University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center and its most accomplished liver surgeon provided a life-saving transplant to one of Japan’s most powerful gang bosses. Additionally, three other men barred from the U.S. for criminal activity also received liver transplants at UCLA.

What? How could that happen? Easy. Can you say money talks? That’s right, money talks and why not? Doesn’t money make the world go round? Oh, settle down you of such disillusioned idealism. Doesn’t money buy a bigger house? a better car? a vacation home in Singapore? Why not a liver transplant? According to the report, the Japanese crime boss, Tadamasa Goto, was given a visa to enter the United States despite being barred for criminal activity. The FBI helped Mr. Goto obtain the visa in exchange for leads on illegal activity in the United States by Japanese criminal gangs. Apparently none of those leads led to anything substantial. Suckers!

But wait! More deserving people–Americans even–are waiting for liver transplants!

Sorry–doesn’t work that way, and it never will. Even if our medical system becomes socialized (and it won’t) there will still be people looking for advantages–and advantages will be found. It might be an advantage of race, color, sex, social contacts, political affiliations–you name it. Right now the biggest advantage goes to those with the desire and ability to pay for what they want. Take that aspect away and I assure you something else will come and takes its place. Because whenever there is competition for anything of scarcity, there will be people trying to set themselves apart to get it. So hold on to your disillusions if you want to, but that’s just the way it goes, man.

And to ruffle even more feathers: Expect much of the same when that holy grail of modern medical science, stem cell research, blossoms into a whole host of new genetic engineering possibilities. It’ll be all about the money then too. That’s right, we all want to believe that stem cell research is going to be the panacea for all ailments. Uh huh. And I’m willing to bet $1 billion dollars right now that that ain’t ever gonna happen. But we will get plenty of designer babies and very expensive cloned replacement parts (you have just gotta check out The Island–what a fantastic movie, I loved it!).

So, if you’re sore about liver transplants being doled out to the highest bidders (Mr. Goto and the other foreign criminals that received liver transplants at UCLA donated $100,000 each to the university), just put it all into perspective. Either keep yourself as healthy as you possibly can–you know, not too much saki, sister–or make lots of money. But don’t waste your time getting pissed. Simple as that.

Ratso Schizo!

By On · Add Comment · In antidepressants, biochemical cause, brain, delusions, depression, genetic engineering, mood changes, paranoia, schizophrenia

Scientists have been genetically engineering laboratory mice to develop the physical and psychological characteristics of schizophrenia. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, used genetic engineering techniques to create mice that suffer from delusions, mood changes and paranoia – the same symptoms human schizophrenics suffer from. They say the findings will help in the understanding and treatment of this disorder, especially in how external factors, like stress or viruses, might aggravate symptoms. Take a peek here to see what one of theses rodents looks like

My only question is this: How did they observe delusions in rodents? A delusion is a pathologically false belief, and I just can’t imagine what a mouse would have to do to be labeled that! Perhaps it was an incorrigible conviction that a cat was a hunk of cheese, or something like that. Either way, it’s cruel and unusual – placing that cat in front of a cheese-hallucinating mouse. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. Animal rights groups are up in arms over this study. They do not believe its necessary to “create” animals with this type of disorder, since schizophrenia is a “uniquely human feature.”

I’d have to agree. But there is an insistence within medical science to find the biochemical cause of mental illness – the same nonsense they have been trying to convince us of regarding depression for the last two decades. Find a biochemical cause, develop a biochemical “cure” – a new pharmaceutical, that is. At least that’s the rationale anyway.

Unfortunately, things are not that simple. When it comes to the human brain, there is still so much we do not yet know. At this time, not one shred of evidence points toward depression having a biochemical cause – but antidepressants are now the number one prescribed medication in the U.S.! Woohoo! Party! I talk at length about depression and antidepressant drug therapy in my upcoming book – The Six Keys To Optimal Health. And I guarantee you, it’s an eye-opener.

OK, now my other only question: If antidepressants are so good, why aren’t prescriptions going down? Hmmm…makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

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