[releases indicate that research on fertilised human embryos…]

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releases indicate that research on fertilised human embryos is being undertaken in private clinics. Maybe Huxley's 'Brave New World' is not all that far from reality.

Area

inIs area in particular requires a general toughening up of controls in order to prevent any such cloning -although it must be said that cloned individuals don't necessarily have similar characteristics, as environmental influences have a greater role in character development than genetic traits. For example, twins - nature's shoi own clones very diverse capabilities.

MAT A - often have characters and DINA recumulnalun technology initially had many perceptible drawbocks and dangers. Ignoring the so-called 'moral' questions of tampering with creation' raised by certain religious gruups, we unnal proven tha initinl mankina with genetic engineering was that the genes involved in the research processes were often antibiotic resistance genes.

These genes were used because their presence is easily indicated by growing the bacterial cells concerned in the presence of high concentrations of the antibiotic. Growth in these conditions indicated successful transference of the gene concerned.

Genes

The danger of this technique is obvious, in that antibiotic resistance genes were being transfered from nonpathogenic bacteria, to ones which could possibly be pathogenic or in turn pass on the gene to pathogenic strains by 'conjugation' ', the rare bacterial "sexual" process. This danger was soon eradicated by two procedures laid down by the government 'watch dog committee, the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group (GMAG) set up in 1975.

• The two procedures laid down by GMAG were total laboratory control of genetically manipulated bacterial strains and the utilisation of crippled bacteria, alternatively known as conditional lethal mutants, which cannot survive outside the laboratory due to their nutritional requirements.

These restrictions were very successful and as an indication of their success GMAG, which once met on a monthly basis, now meets only two or three times a year.

Some say that GMAG has outlived its usefulness and would like to see it disbanded. The problem with this is that it would leave the door open for unscrupulous genetic experimentation. A more preferable course of action would be to change GMAG's terms of reierence, for them to include ethical considerations of • genetic manipulation and not just safety aspects.

Since GMAG was set up in 1975, genetic engineering has moved out of its initial pure research phase, into an industrially and commercially biased phase, where the research processes are developed through pilot scale into full commercial plants. This maturity of technique has brought with it new and potentially serious social problems, problems which in some cases set undesirable precedents.

Basic

There are two basic problems posed by modern genetic engineering. Firstly most advances in commercial techniques have been made by the USA. This is undoubtedly partly the result of the US leading the international moratorium in genetic engineering, which started in 1975.

Britain and the West followed almost unthinkingly, applying strict legislation through GMAG and other similar bodies, whilst the Americans applied few restrictions after the initial pause and furore of the

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Socialist Organiser no.107 November 4 1982 Page 13