Genetic modification involves the manipulation of the genetic makeup of an organism with the view of developing a more improved or resilient organism. This modification involves the use of biotechnology in gene copying or gene isolation and yield a modified DNA (Wohlers, 2013). The resultant DNA leads to the development of the genetically modified organism. Genetic modification has widely been used in different biological fields from the 20th century. This arose with the development of the genetically modified bacterium by Stanley Cohen and Boyer Herbert in 1973 (Freedman, 2013). After this pilot project many other genetically modified organisms have since been developed. The genetic modification technology has since been used in deferent fields including Agriculture and the development of vaccines. For this assignment, I have selected the article titled “Vector-based genetically modified vaccines: Exploiting Jenner’s legacy ” by Bahar Ramezanpour, Ingrid Haan, Ab Osterhaus, and Eric Claassen.
The article mentioned above presents a research study that aims at identifying the contribution of Genetic modification in the development of new vaccines. The article notes that the vaccine industry has experienced great advancement in the recent past. One such advancement is the incorporation of genetic modification technologies in the development of new vaccines as well as the improvement of the already existing vaccines. It identifies one major problem in the vaccine industry in the fact that major infectious diseases such as Malaria and Aids have not found a vaccine (Ramezanpour, Haan, Osterhaus & Claassen, 2016). The authors of this article further note that the existing literature shows that the contribution of the genetic modification technology in the development of new vaccines has largely been limited. The article proposes that the solution to the development of vaccines to different human illnesses that have so far not found a vaccine could be in the use of the GM technologies in the development of Vector-based vaccines. There are several ongoing activities in the development of new vector-based technologies as well as patenting pre-clinical and other clinical research stages. The research in this article synthesizes multiple sources to determine the extent to which such technologies have incorporated Genetic modification technologies in the development of vaccines at different stages of preclinical and clinical research as well as implementation. The findings indicate that the genetic modifications in vaccines still under development have incorporated the use of vector-based technologies largely (Ramezanpour, Haan, Osterhaus & Claassen, 2016). The study postulates that the future genetic modification in the development of vaccines lies in the use of vector-based technologies.
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Due to the diverse nature of this article, it deals with different vaccines both existing and those under development. One major example provided in this article is the vaccine for Hepatitis B. the article shows how the antigen-producing gene has been extracted from the Hepatitis B Virus and the extraction of Plasmid DNA from the Bacterium. The two strands DNA have been recombined to form a recombinant DNA introduced into the yeast cell and used in the manufacture of Hepatitis B vaccine. The gene recombination aims to be able to carry the genetically modified Hepatitis B antigen-producing gene under the bacterium vector. As such, it employs the use of vector-based technologies in the development of genetically modified technologies (Singh, Nehete, Yang, Nehete & Hanley, 2014). This among other examples demonstrate how vector-based technologies can equally be incorporated in genetic modification in the process of developing vaccines for other diseases whose vaccines have so far not been determined.
While microorganisms such as bacteria and virus greatly affect human’s immunity system, the research presented in this article demonstrates that such microorganisms can be positively utilized in biotechnology and particularly in the development of vaccines. Such microorganisms serve as vectors and are significant vehicles over which the vaccines in vector-based viruses are carried (Rogers, Scott, Warner & Willis, 2011). Therefore, biotechnology makes us of such microorganisms as viruses and bacteria in the development of important vaccines that would have otherwise been impossible to develop (Schenck & Antonia, 2014). The example of the bacterium vector used to carry the Hepatitis B discussed above is a clear illustration of how microorganism has found application in biotechnology and particularly in the development of new vector-based vaccines.
Several advantages accompany the use of vector-based technologies in the development of genetically modified vaccines. First, some vectors possess large genomes that make it possible to insert multiple genes for cytokines, costimulatory molecules and TAAs (Van, Graaff & Rhee 2001). Secondly, some vectors have the potential to bring about inflammatory response particularly at the site of injection, which invokes the movement of antigen-presenting cells towards the site. Thirdly, many vectors have the potential to infect antigen-presenting cells. This is advantageous because it facilitates better antigen processing. Lastly, the vector-based technology used in the development of vector-based vaccines in not only cheap but also easy to use compared to autologous whole-tumor and DC-based vaccine technologies (Ada, 2005). In contrast, the major limitation of vector-based vaccines is the fact that the host induces antibodies that have the potential to neutralize the vector (Poyraz & Özdoğan, 2016). Consequently, this limits the efficiency of the vector as well as its repeated use.
Several other authors have equally weighed in the discussion on the use of vector-based technologies in the development of genetically modified vaccines. In the article “ Developments in Viral Vector-Based Vaccines, ” Ura, Okuda, and Shimada (2014) discuss how viral vectors have played a critical role in the development of genetically modified vector-based vaccines. The article notes that viral vectors are a potential tool in the development of vaccines to diseases that have so far not found appropriate vaccines. The authors show that genetically altered vectors have the potential to improve safety and efficacy as well as reduce the administrative dose. This article complements the article under review in that it gives the perspective of viral vectors and their contribution to the development of vector-based genetically modified vaccines that are both cheap and efficient. The two articles agree on the fact that the incorporation of vector-based technologies in the development of genetically modified vaccines could potentially help in the development of vaccines for diseases that have so far not found appropriate vaccines. Tebas et al. (2012) particularly note the contribution that vector-based technologies could have in research and development of HIV/AIDS vaccine. The article discusses the nature of HIV and the various ways through which researchers could make use of vector-based technologies. The two articles present views that are largely in agreement with the views presented in the article under review in this paper.
The application of this biotechnology will be of great importance to everyone who is at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. This biotechnology provides hope that the development of HIV/AIDS vaccine could be in the pipeline (Ramezanpour, 2015). This revelation will greatly help in protecting many other young people and me from contracting this disease.
In summary, this article discusses the diverse opportunities that the use of vector technology in the genetic modification of vaccines presents to the future of vaccine development. It demonstrates that vector technology helps in the development of genetically modified vaccines that are not only efficient but also cheap to use and develop. The future of genetically modified vaccines will largely depend on the exploitation of vector-based technologies .
References
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Poyraz, M., & Özdoğan, O. C. (2016). New developments in the era of viral hepatitis vaccines. Marmara Medical Journal, 29 (4): 29.
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Ramezanpour, B., Haan, I., Osterhaus, A., & Claassen, E. (2016). Vector-based genetically modified vaccines: Exploiting Jenner’s legacy. Vaccine, 34 (50): 6436-6448.
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Tebas, P. et al. (2013). Antiviral effects of autologous CD4 T cells genetically modified with a conditionally replicating lent viral vector expressing long antisense to HIV. Blood . 121 : 1524–1533.
Ura, T., Okuda, K., & Shimada, M. (2014). Developments in Viral Vector-Based Vaccines. Vaccines, 2 (4): 624-641
Van De Graaff, K. M., & Rhees R. W. (2001). Human anatomy and physiology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wohlers, A. E. (2013). Labeling of genetically modified food. Politics and the Life Sciences, 32 (1): 73–84.
