One can pursue genetics as a career by doing courses like Bachelors, Masters & Doctoral degree. Genetics is a wide field and it has applicability in cancer research, assessing newborn defects, Nutrigenomics, DNA sample analysis, etc. The field of genetics allows you to work in medical as well as scientific research.

“Today, demand for genetic engineers is rising in India as well as abroad.” After pursuing courses in genetic engineering, you can work in medical and pharmaceutical industries, research and development departments, agricultural sector, genetic engineering firms, chemical companies, etc.

Switzerland, the USA, England and Scotland are few countries best for genetic engineering.

The possible benefits of genetic engineering include: More nutritious food. Tastier food. Disease- and drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (such as water and fertilizer)

Genetic engineering could also create unknown side effects or outcomes. Certain changes in a plant or animal could cause unpredicted allergic reactions in some people which, in its original form, did not occur. Other changes could result into the toxicity of an organism to humans or other organisms.

Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering

• Tackling and Defeating Diseases.
• Getting Rid of All Illnesses in Young and Unborn Children.
• Potential to Live Longer.
• Produce New Foods.
• Organisms Can be ‘Tailor-Made’
• Faster Growth in Animals and Plants.
• Pest and Disease Resistance.

Gene therapy , or somatic gene editing, changes the DNA in cells of an adult or child to treat disease, or even to try to enhance that person in some way. The changes made in these somatic (or body) cells would be permanent but would only affect the person treated.

This section discusses the evidence for a range of drawbacks that people often associate with GMO foods.

• Allergic reactions. Some people believe that GMO foods have more potential to trigger allergic reactions.
• Cancer.
• Antibacterial resistance.
• Outcrossing.

With its potential to eliminate and prevent hereditary diseases such as cystic fibrosis and hemophilia and its use as a possible cure for heart disease, AIDS, and cancer, gene therapy is a potential medical miracle-worker.

A lab experiment aimed at fixing defective DNA in human embryos shows what can go wrong with this type of gene editing and why leading scientists say it’s too unsafe to try. In more than half of the cases, the editing caused unintended changes, such as loss of an entire chromosome or big chunks of it.

Genetic engineering offers the theoretical possibility to transfer any natural or modified gene into any living organism. This generates new and diverse situations which may contribute to the spreading of infectious diseases or on the contrary to control them.

Genetically altered embryos can be achieved by introducing the desired genetic material into the embryo itself, or into the sperm and/or egg cells of the parents; either by delivering the desired genes directly into the cell or using the gene-editing technology.

It is clear that during evolution, domestication and plant breeding a wide variety of genetic alterations have occurred and are still being introduced and further exploited. But not every type of alteration does or is likely to occur naturally. Alterations that cannot occur naturally are considered novel.

Genetic modification is a technique to change the characteristics of a plant, animal or micro-organism by transferring a piece of DNA from one organism to a different organism. This is done through targeted removal of the desired genes from the DNA of one organism and adding them to the other organism.

One specific concern is the possibility for GMOs to negatively affect human health. This could result from differences in nutritional content, allergic response, or undesired side effects such as toxicity, organ damage, or gene transfer.

Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are those engineered to introduce a new trait into the species. Purposes of GM crops generally include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or environmental conditions, or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide).

The UQ PhD study found the benefits of GM plants and food outweighed the risks, finding no compelling evidence of harm to humans from GM plants. Opponents say GM products are unnatural, potentially harmful to humans and capable of environmental injury and creating ‘superweeds’.