Childhood Diabetes and Insulin Production - Emily Carter & Sofia Spendlove

Childhood Diabetes and Insulin Production

Emily Carter & Sofia Spendlove

A blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes. National Diabetes Day is November 14.

Link to Prezi: http://prezi.com/fdsfg2jk1epw/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

The Concept: Scientific/Culture, and Economic Context-Type 1 Diabetes is most common in childhood where the pancreas doesn't produce the hormone insulin that controls the glucose levels in the blood. For children, the ethnicity varies depending on culture. Genetic engineering in the economy hasn’t completely come out yet. The cost is extremely high, and some insurances will not cover the cost. Because of the young age of children, and the toll that the genetic engineering takes on the body it is recommended that children can grow out of the disease by a strict diet plan and physical exercising/activity. Diabetes is found in a variety of cultures and ethnicity of children all over the world.

Is there a cure for diabetes? What if there was?

"There is no cure for diabetes. Treatment of diabetes focuses on two goals: keeping blood glucose within the normal range and preventing the development of long-term complications. Diet, exercise, medication, and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels are the keys to managing diabetes so that patients can live healthier lives. -

In addition to monitoring diet and exercise, type 1 diabetes is always treated by giving replacement insulin, usually several times a day. Type 2 diabetes is treatable by a number of therapeutic approaches. Drug therapy may be directed toward increasing insulin secretion, increasing insulin sensitivity, or increasing insulin penetration of the cells."

Now, according to this site, there is no cure for diabetes. Clearly listed in the first sentence, but is this true?

Here is another point of view on the subject of Genetic Engineering:

"In the past decade there has been a great deal of enthusiasm and high expectations for cell

transplantation and genetic engineering. Many excellent laboratories have studied experimental protocols but unfortunately most have unveiled substantial difficulties. With the exception of bone marrow transplantation and blood transfusion cell transplants have been disappointing but the early good results of pancreatic islet transplants led to increased activity to turn this into acceptable therapy. In the meantime gene therapy has for the most part been disappointing. It is difficult to get appropriate expression for prolonged periods of the gene in question and the use of viral vectors has exposed certain important dangers."

So far, there have been many other alternatives to curing or helping the problem and dealing with Diabetes. Here is an example of treatment:

“Surgical transplantation of a vascularised whole pancreas or even half a pancreas can give excellent long-term results (10) with cure of diabetes in many cases. Most patients have suffered from diabetic renal failure and often it has been possible to transplant a kidney and a pancreas from the same donor. Powerful life long immunosuppression is necessary, but this would be standard treatment for the kidney graft. The operation is a major surgical procedure with the special danger of leak age of pancreatic digestive enzymes, but results are improving steadily. Unfortunately, the incidence of diabetes is far in excess of the availability of donor pancreatic.”

Other treatment for diabetes, is providing insulin shots every meal or as needed depending on the severity. Using stem cells is also used to generate pancreatic cells. Trans differentiation of liver cells to islet cells, and “cultural” growth of embryonic pancreas rudiments is also used.

Now, an new treatment is uprising with genetic engineering where the pancreatic cells, and diabetes medical disorder can be changed for ever.

What are the Benefits of Genetic Engineering?:

1. With genetic engineering most of the diseases and illnesses can be prevented or stopped.
2. There are also infectious diseases that can be treated with genetic engineering.
3. Desirable characteristics can easily be determined.  The genes can be manipulated.
4. Has the ability to increase genetic diversity.
5. Genetic engineering borderlines many moral issues.  People question is man has the right to manipulate the laws and course of nature.
6. Genetic engineering has the potential of creating and supplying new body parts.
7. Many children suffer from Type 1 Diabetes.  Genetic engineering may be able to treat and someday cure them.
8. With the use of stem cells and stem cell research, more possibilities of genetic engineering are open.
9. A person’s DNA can be change for people to bring about desirable and functional changes in the structure of DNA.

What are the Risks of Genetic Engineering?:

1. Genetic Engineering creates a risk for humans depending on race and ethnicity. Diabetes cure could result in many different problems based on things that cannot be controlled like races or ethnicity.
2. Genetic Engineering may present problems for offspring in the future who have parents that did the genetic engineering treatment. Would the offspring receive the mutated and changed gene, or the original gene?
3. Improper treatment or wrong use can mutate human organisms into something such as a beast. Not to the extreme level, but it could happen. If used by terrorists, or improper trained officials, genetic engineering can be used to produce individuals that are threats to society.
4. Produce the problem to be more severe, or worse. This engineering could produce other genetic or mutations at the same time of trying to fix one problem.
5. A form of genetic engineering is by using purified insulin from the pancreas of slaughtered animals. This insulin is used to be injected into the cells of the human pancreas which then produces insulin for the human. This caused several bacterial complications and changes in allergic problems.
6. A risk of genetic engineering of diseases is bacterial dysfunctions.
7. The freezing of stem cells have been used in genetic engineering, and sometimes there is a problem in freezing the stem cells. Then they cannot be used to genetically engineer diseases such as diabetes in childhood.
8. Genetic Engineering for diabetes is not recommended for children because of the physical toll on the body and constant treatment with cost.
9. Facing the treatment may lead to physical changes or a huge risk on health and future treatments.

Genetic engineering despite it’s several benefits can still greatly affect children. The physical destruction and harm on the body is painful along with the treatment process.

“The diagnosis of type I diabetes in a child is a sentence to a lifelong strict regimen of

diet and medication and is a major and continuing trauma to the whole family.” - “In addition to

the cost in human suffering, the financial burden of diabetes on health care resources is enormous and accelerating yearly as the incidence of both Type I and Type II diabetes increases.”

Real Life Example:

Without genetic engineering, a Nigerian female child went on a strict diet to lose weight and participated in several sporting activities and exercise. Both her family members had a genetic background of Diabetes in their family. Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, the child decided not to do the Genetic Engineering because of the extreme high cost, and the physical tough changing of the genes in the body.

We Interviewed Some People On Their Thoughts of Genetic Engineering for Childhood Diabetes:

1.Danny White - What do you know about diabetes?

• My grandma has diabetes.  I know she has to prick her finger everyday to test her blood sugar.

2. Garrett Johns - If you had diabetes, would you do genetic engineering to change it so that you don’t have it?

• I wouldn’t like to have diabetes. I would do something to try to change it.

3. Vinicius Passos - Do you think genetic engineering to possibly prevent diabetes is safe during childhood?

• No, because many things could go wrong...like bad mutations.  It’s not worth it.

4. Bailey Saint-Marc - If you were a parent and your child had diabetes, would try genetic engineering?

• No, I wouldn’t want my kids lab information to be kept in the lab.

5. Ziad Abou-Nasr - If you were a parent and your child had diabetes, would try genetic engineering?

• No, because something could happen to the child that could cause it to get another disease or get ill. It could be dangerous.
  
  
  

Overall Reflection on Genetic Engineering of Childhood Diabetes:

Genetic Engineering can change lives, and relieve children of having to live the rest of their life with the disease/medical disorder. It is very beneficial to do genetic engineering because the stress is relieved, and the child can live the normal life that they deserve. Although this treatment can be rewarding and well worth it, it is very costly, and takes a large toll on the body. Genetic Engineering is not covered by some insurance companies, and is a prolonged consistent treatment process. For children, it can weaken the immune system and body by a lot. For children, it is recommended that they change their diet plan, and participate in physical activities. We think that humans should not consider changing or re-designing life. There are too many risks and problems that can get in the way. Genetic engineering may be rewarding, but the process of getting to the reward and the money spent during treatment is not worth it. It is never certain that the reward will really come where the child is totally healthy and never has to face diabetes again, or that this disease will not affect their offspring.

References:

1. Uretsky, S. D., Odle, T. G., & Davidson, T. (2011). Antidiabetic drugs. In L. J. Fundukian (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (4th ed.). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=SCIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CDU2601000101&source=Bookmark&u=las89135&jsid=de33e8a4d67f75c816631b86722ea7d5
2. Ashammakhi, N., Reis, R., & Chiellini, E. (2007). The Challenges of Cell Transplantation and Genetic Engineering for the Treatment of Diabetes. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.oulu.fi/spareparts/ebook_topics_in_t_e_vol3/abstracts/calne_chapter_01.pdf
3. Cho, A. (2012, January 18). Effect of genetic testing for risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus on health behaviors and outcomes: Study rationale, development and design. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/12/16
4. McPhersson, J. (2008, August 24). Effects of Genetic Engineering. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/genetic-engineering.shtml
5. BBC - Standard Grade Bitesize Biology. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/biology/biotechnology/reprogramming_microbes/revision/3/
6. Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in a Nigerian child: A case report. (2011, September 11). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3260995/
7. Oak, M. (n.d.). Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-genetic-engineering.html
8. Blue Circle - American Association of Diabetes Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.diabeteseducator.org/Blue_Circle.html
9. Diabetes in kids showed clinical or classic symptoms. (2014, August 6). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://pingsimon.com/diabetes-in-kids/

      10. Alarming Rise in diabetes in children. (2012, January 12). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/alarming-rise-in-diabetes-in-children