Blog Post

Genetic engineering is a subject that is ever-evolving in today’s modern world. Although the concept is not a new one, new discoveries, developments, and methods of implementation have been rapidly growing in recent years, revolutionizing the life sciences and the world at large. Thus, it is crucial to stay up-to-date on the happenings in the field––one missed date could be the day a bioengineered crop racks the global produce market or a university researcher discovers the genetic key to curing one of the world’s most pervasive diseases. 

None of this could be possible without advancements in the fundamental understandings of how genetics work. In the spring of 2022, scientists were able to sequence the full human genome for the first time. Although decades have passed since the genome was put together for the first time, there were always pieces missing. Now that the full picture has been crafted, the implications for science are boundless. “In the future, when someone has their genome sequenced, we will be able to identify all of the variants in their DNA and use that information to better guide their healthcare,” said one leader of the organization championing the study. 

This sort of ‘guided healthcare’ has already found its way into the medical field. Personalized medicine, or precision medicine, is the practice of administering treatments to patients based on their genomic profile. This can also extend to preventative methods: BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, recently partnered with the government of the United Kingdom to roll out vaccines related to fighting cancer. 

A second avenue where these scientific advancements are being applied is in the area of developing more efficient or sophisticated produce. One such notable example is golden rice. The crop has the potential to curb Vitamin A deficiencies around the world, which currently approximately affect a third of children under 5 worldwide. Like the sequencing of the human genome, golden rice was discovered many years ago––in the 1990s, to be exact––but it was first approved for production and commercialization beginning in 2021. Implementing similar policies allowing such food to enter markets globally could have significant effects on human nutrition and life expectancy. 

While preparing for this committee, such examples of scientific advancements could prove themselves helpful. At the same time, it is important to also note how each of these examples serves as representations of how far the scope of genetic engineering reaches, from economics to ethics to public policy to human rights. These applications speak directly to your job as a delegate.