Maternal blood: potential use in prenatal screening and diagnostics. Buletin Persatuan Genetik Malaysia, 8 (1&2). pp. 3-5. ISSN 1394-5750 (2002)
Abstract
In the face of the continual increase in the world population there is a demand to provide more food and better health care. Biotechnology and genetics have provided the breakthrough for this and have revolutionized agriculture and medicine. Biotechnology has equipped us with tools not only to increase productivity of crops and animals, but also to improve the nutritive value and flavor of food. It has contributed towards the efforts to develop an efficient and sustainable food production system and promises more in the future. Mapping, sequencing and gene identification have accelerated the understanding of diseases and have been the impetus for the development of new methods of diagnosis and treatment. Biotechnology has become a major player in pharmaceutical, disease diagnostic, crop protection, animal health and food production industries.
Countries are venturing into biotechnology as it not only promises better quality of life, but also a new area of commercialization and economic development. It holds tremendous potentials for countries that choose to venture into this field. Malaysia aspires to become one of the key players in this field, and the Eight Malaysia Plan aims to provide the necessary infrastructure and funding for research and development. However, technical expertise alone is not enough to achieve this. The public knowledge and understanding of this is also very important. The rapid pace of biotechnological development is also creating fear among those who do not understand it. Researchers and lecturers in the field of genetics and other allied fields that use biotechnology should more than just concentrate on research and development in these areas. They have a responsibility to help the public understand the need for and the benefits of biotechnology, and to allay the fears. The advantages of biotechnology are far greater than the risks; the public should be informed of this. The public should be assured of thorough analysis of risks of genetically modified organisms and products, and that ethical limits would be respected.
Item Type: | Article |
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Keywords: | Maternal Blood, Prenatal Screening |
Taxonomy: | By Niche > Genome > Genomes Data Processing By Niche > Genome > Human Genome Research |
Local Content Hub: | Niche > Genome |
Depositing User: | Rizana Mohd Radwan |
Date Deposited: | 15 Jul 2024 09:05 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jul 2024 09:06 |
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