RECOMBINANT-DNA AND SURGERY

We have the ability to isolate DNA from tissue, determine its base-pair sequence, and ask if a gene of interest is present. DNA strands can be isolated from one type of cell or organism, cleved, and inserted (recombined) with DNA from another cell or organism. Recombinant DNA techniques have already improved health care by providing clinically useful quantities of pure human protein hormones such as erythropoietin, insulin, and growth hormone. Furthermore these techniques may increase our understanding of cellular growth control mechanisms to a level that was previously unattainable. They will also increase our knowledge of the development of major diseases and provide a means of specific nontoxic therapies for these diseases. Surgeons will need to understand basic DNA research terminology to keep up with the revolution in medical therapies that these techniques will cause. Our purpose is to begin the process of linking surgery to DNA.