Human retina – A history of biological research and the development of genetic engineering

The development of genetic engineering (also called genetic modification) started in the 40‐ties of the 19th c. After the Second World War, the rapid process that used laboratory‐based technologies to conduct research on cells, and tissues, altered the DNA makeup of an organism, and the virus became the basis of the modern paradigm of medical sciences. One of the most successful moments was the creation of vaccines by combining genetic engineering research with research on viruses. It was a time of scientific optimism. This optimism was not hindered by Nazists medical experimentations performed during the Second World War. However, The main ethical questions about the limits of medical science and human biological material research were left unanswered. The development of genetic engineering gave rise to questions on the legalization of abortion, euthanasia, and transplantology. From 60‐ties to 90‐ties to the 20th century, large‐scale research began on diploid cells of fetal origin. All these events have called for discussion in the bioethics community and the question of the limits to which medical sciences can be pushed.