Interview with Omar Magdy, a passionate undergraduate Biology major
student, from the American University in Cairo.
Written by Laila Mottaweh
LM: Can you briefly tell us about what genetic engineering is?
OM: Genetic engineering is a mechanism in which you induce certain feature through
selecting for a specific gene to get a usually industrially desired characteristic. For
example, you genetically engineer sheep to get them to have a high-average weight, or
get them to produce more milk than average.
It’s much more beneficial than that though, because you can eradicate genetic diseases,
and cure so many things once you are able to tackle it on a genetic level. So, rather
than waiting for the damage to occur, we will hopefully, one day become able to
prevent it altogether.
LM: What do you think about it, how big of a breakthrough is this in the scientific
world?
OM: It’s a very big breakthrough in the biology field because it has the potential to
eradicate genetic diseases, and ameliorate production in industrial sector.
LM: Should we embrace this new technology with arms wide open? Or should we still
have reservations about it?
OM: We should embrace it, however to a certain extent. You are going to face questions
about the limitations of science, on ethicality and religious concerns.
LM: Would you be personally willing to try a cultured hamburger?
OM: I think it’s an awesome initiative, and I wouldn’t mind to personally try it. But not
in such an early stage, I would still like it to be tested so it is proven to be trustworthy
and safe. We still do not know of the long-term side effects, who knows what we could
end up facing. For example, neurodegenerative diseases could develop as a result of
misfolded proteins, this is one concern I would have if I tried eating it.
LM: Do you think it’s a good idea to switch from the way we currently produce meat to
this more sustainable approach?
OM: I think it has a lot of potential, as a transition into the future, because I don’t view
it as differing much from food supplements available in stores (food supplements
substituting protein, for example) so it’s just taking it a step further for me. On the long
run I imagine it will be even cheaper than real meat, because the means of production
is getting easier and easier
21/11/2016
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