Dear Lavanya,
I can try to answer some of these questions. Biotechnology refers to
the entire range of tools -- ranging from petri dishes and centrifuges
to computers that analyze DNA sequences -- that help us understand
biological processes, including the origins, development, and
consequences of diseases. These tools also help us invent cures, when
and where that is possible.
Cloning has a technical meaning and we should probably stick to that:
it refers to the duplication of a biological element, which might be a
virus, a DNA sequence, or a cell or embryo. It is crucial to
distinguish therapeutic cloning (which is entirely safe and ethical,
and can help us cure diseases) from reproductive cloning (creating a
baby that has the same genes as someone else). Sensible people, it
seems to me, support therapeutic cloning because it can perhaps save
so many millions of lives and cure illnesses like Parkinson's.
Genetics has to do with the inheritance of traits, and we now know
that that happens through DNA -- the molecules that carry information
from one generation to the next.
Stem cell research is today by far the most promising path to curing
diseases in which cells are deficient or degenerate, such as
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes, ALS, MS, and others. A
stem cell can develop into any other kind of cell in the body. For
example, it can become a brain cell and might be usable to provide the
dopamine cells that people with PD lack.
You might take a look at our websites, http://www.sabr.us and
http://www.stemcellaction.org for more information about such matters.
You can also search the web to get a wealth of information.
Lavanya, I need your help and the help of everyone in this
group! I volunteer for an project called "Portraits of Hope",
which is sponsored by the Stem Cell Action Network. (website is
http://www.stemcellaction.org ). We want to put a human face on the
controversy surrounding stem cell research, including therapeutic
cloning research.
We are collecting, and publishing on the Internet, "portraits," each
of which honors an individual person who has a condition such as
Parkinson's that stem cell research might help to cure. Many people
in this discussion group have sent in their portraits.
At our "Portraits of Hope" webpage
(http://www.sabr.us/portraits-nav.htm ), we have posted several
portraits of people with Parkinson's, among other illnesses, and we
would like to create a portrait for you as well.
Best wishes, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Raymond Barglow
On Friday, May 2, 2003, at 04:50 am, vmehra wrote:
Can some one please clarify a few problems I am facing or
give me some website from where I can get them clarified?
1) I want to know the difference between Biotechnology, cloning,
genetics, stem cell research etc.
2) I want to know some data regarding diseases. How many can
traditional medical practice cure and what egentics hopes to do in the
future.
Please help
Take Care
Lavanya
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