Genetic engineering is now a reality. If used wisely, it can be beneficial for humans. A good example is offered by gene therapies that put viruses to work.

Professor Piotr Węgleński, who died on January 19, 2024 studied and worked at the University of Warsaw – at the Faculty of Biology and later at the Center for New Technologies. He was a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the vice-rector and later the rector of the University of Warsaw. He was responsible for introducing genetic engineering to Poland. He was a great boss – that is what we always called him – and a great academic teacher and was very active in popularizing science.

In recent years, two developments revolutionized the molecular genetics. The first one is an enormously improved technique of the DNA sequencing. It is now possible to obtain in couple of hours and on the low cost, the full sequence of the human genome. The second one is the invention of the CRISPR-Cas technique, which allows the precise manipulations of genomes of living organisms. This technique was already successfully applied to “repair” human genes responsible for hereditary diseases. To some astonishment, applications of genetic engineering to humans does not bring protests of general public, while similar manipulations pf plants genomes are considered an dangerous. In Poland and in some other countries, parliaments introduced an extremely restrictive laws, which in practice makes cultivation of GM plants outside laboratories impossible. This is caused by the ignorance of the general public and by opposition of catholic church which considers genetic modifications of all organisms as contradictory with Gods will. The most common modification of plants is an introduction into their genomes of the single gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringensis, what make the plant resistant to harmful insects. According to WHO, neither the manipulation mentioned above, nor manipulations of the other kind, do not pose any danger to humans.