Genetic Engineering in Medicine Essay Example

Since the beginning of mankind, we have evolved to adapt to our surroundings. Humans, as a species, have experienced three major waves of evolution. The first wave was adapting to our surroundings. Following the flow of nature, finding ways to fit in and survive in certain ecological niches, the hunting and gathering lifestyle. The second wave was when we started to change our environment to benefit ourselves. We were able to settle down and alter the environment around us to help us succeed, whether that would be agriculture, medicine, or even construction. However, in the last few years, we have approached a new stage of evolution where we do not live and change the environment around us, but rather we choose and select evolution itself. We are now able to create evolution through innovations in Genetic and Biological engineering. Innovations in these technologies have allowed us to not only control the evolution of the organisms around us but also control our evolution. 

Throughout the twenty-first century, we have made great strides in genetic engineering technology. Ideas thought to be impossible a few decades ago are now used in our everyday lives whether we know it or not. We can create hybrid animals by mixing the genome of two species. We can create plants that are pesticide and insecticide-resistant, making them easier to grow. We can grow organs on mice that can be used as transplants. The possibilities are endless. As we continue to innovate in this progressing field, new uses will arise providing a rise in the quality of life in every corner of the world. Through the use of genetic engineering technology, health care will become more abundant to lower social-economic classes as healthcare supply increases, decreasing the cost of healthcare while also increasing its supply.

Genetic engineering has been used in the medical field for a long time already. Genetic engineering is used as a method to help create medications. “In medicine, genetic engineering has been used to mass-produce insulin, human growth hormones, Follistim (for treating infertility), human albumin, monoclonal antibodies, antihemophilic factors, vaccines, and many other drugs.” (Boundless). Genetic engineering has become common in trying to mass-produce medications for years. Through the use of Genetic engineering, we have been able to steadily increase the supply of medications making medicine like insulin more abundant to patients. Some may argue that despite the increase in the supply of insulin through the use of genetic engineering, insulin prices have continuously risen in the last two decades. However, an increase in insulin is affected by more than just the supply of the medication. As the medical industry has bloomed, few companies have taken control over 90% of the market. This makes it very hard for prices of medication such as insulin to drop no matter how much supply they may have. Despite the presence of monopolies, as innovation of genetic technology becomes more abundant, the monopolies and patents, once controlled by a few companies, would become more accessible allowing the prices for medication to drop.

Genetic engineering not only increases the supply of medications and healthcare products but also allows medical professionals to make better analyses on the types of drugs that would work on a specific patient. Through genetic technology, we are able to test patients to see their aptitudes to certain treatments and medications. “Genetic testing lets doctors know which patients will respond to the drug, which has been shown to reduce the risk of death by 33% and the risk of recurrence by 52%. The resulting cost savings is $24,000 per patient.” (Association). Genetic testing has allowed medical professionals to provide better healthcare to patients. Allowing patients to save money that has usually gone into treating the resurfaced medical issues. This process not only provides a decrease in cost for patients but also helps decrease the mistakes that may occur. Using genetic technology, doctors will be able to provide a more accurate analysis of a patient's problems. Giving the patient a chance to receive the most effective treatments and medications. By providing the correct treatment for diseases we will be able to prevent many medical mistakes that may result in life-altering changes. 

Through genetic engineering, we will be able to reduce the prices of our health care. Not only does genetic engineering technology provide a method for us to produce more medications like insulin and hormones, but they also allow medical professionals to provide better treatments and medications for their patients. These processes would allow health care prices to decrease. Decreases in the price of health insurance would allow many Americans to get the healthcare they need. As a result, making healthcare more abundant to the lower socio-economic classes.

With surges in healthcare prices over the last decade, lowering healthcare costs through genetic engineering has become more important. “A BCBS study found per member spending on specialty drugs increased 26 percent from 2013 to 2014.” (Blue Shield). These increases have made healthcare inaccessible to those of lower socioeconomic status. With prices for healthcare continuing to rise, necessary medical treatments and procedures are being bypassed because of the expensive costs. “It’s not just the care that Americans are struggling to cover. Last year, Kaiser Family Foundation found 29% of Americans failed to take their medications as prescribed because of the cost, with about 19% of respondents saying they did not fill the prescription and 12% saying they cut pills in half or skipped a dose.” (Leonhardt). With increases in prices, many Americans have already started skipping on healthcare. Many of the medications that are being skipped being crucial to their health and well-being. Many Americans are choosing the omit their health to save money. This is not acceptable. These high expenses of materials have caused healthcare to be inaccessible to those in lower socio-economic classes. High costs have made it impossible for these of lower classes to pursue the necessary medications for a healthy life.

Healthcare prices have not just surged, but they have also become more scarce as the world's population increases. With our population rising, our healthcare system has not been able to catch up to the rising demand for healthcare products. Take organ transplants as an example, “In the United States, for example, the number of patients on the waiting list in the year 2006 had risen to over 95,000, while the number of patient deaths was over 6,300. This organ shortage crisis has deprived thousands of patients of a new and better quality of life and has caused a substantial increase in the cost of alternative medical care such as dialysis.” (GM). As of 2021, there are currently over 107,000 people on the waitlist for organs transplant, with over 17 people dying due to a lack of organ transplants each day. These numbers continue to rise and have stripped many patients of the possibilities of survival or better quality of life. Due to the lack of medical supplies, many patients have missed necessary treatments and medications. These shortages not only cause patients to have to pursue further treatment, increasing the cost of their healthcare, but they also may have life-altering effects, like permanent disabilities, or even death. 

However, these problems are solved through the introduction of genetic technology. Through genetic engineering technology, we can create more prescription drugs and other necessities in the medical field. By creating more of these medical necessities, we can assist the over 107,000 people on the organ waitlist. We will be able to provide the 51% of Americans, who skip healthcare due to the expense. Genetic engineering solves many of the problems that are currently present with our healthcare system. Despite the upside of the technology many doubters still persist. 

Although genetic engineering provides many benefits, many have continued to speculate whether it is worth it to continue pursuing this topic due to the amount of money that we have poured into the research already. However, I would like to remind those people that with every great invention and discovery, there have always been enormous amounts of money poured into the subject. Take the moon landing as an example, we put millions of dollars into trying to build the best spacecraft to send people to the moon, but in the end when we accomplished our goal the benefits of the achievement ultimately outweighed the cost that it took in the beginning. The same goes for genetic engineering. There is so much potential in this technology that not putting in the money to try to make an effort to innovate would waste the enormous benefit that this technology may have in the future.

Through genetic engineering, we have taken control of the world we live in. We have the control to create the society that we have dreamed of. Through genetic engineering, we will be able to make healthcare accessible to everyone in the US. We will be able to end the never-ending debates on the healthcare system in the US. Through genetic engineering we will be able to create more supply in the healthcare system and provide more accurate healthcare analysis, allowing healthcare prices to decrease. As a result, making healthcare more accessible to the various socioeconomic classes in the US. By continuing research on genetic engineering, we will be able to create a world in which we can control our own evolution, changing the world around us to improve our society.