78 • Impacts of Applied Genetics— Micro-Organisms, Plants, and Animals 
cules— is underscored by the fact that half of 
the 22 active INDs for new molecular entities 
that have been rated by FDA as promising im- 
portant therapeutic gains are in the Metabolic 
and Endocrine Division, which oversees such 
drugs. It is reasonable to anticipate that they 
will be employed to treat cancer, to prevent or 
combat infections, to facilitate transplantation 
of organs and skin, and to treat allergies and 
other diseases in which the immune system has 
turned against the organism to which it belongs. 
(See table 7.) 
At the very least, even if immediate medical 
uses cannot be found for any of these com- 
pounds, their indirect impact on medical re- 
search is assured. For the first time, almost any 
biological phenomenon of medical interest can 
be explored at the cellular level by the appli- 
Table 7.— -Diseases Amenable to Drugs Produced by 
Genetic Engineering in the Pharmaceutical Industry 
Disease or condition 
Drug potentially produced by 
genetically engineered organism 
Diabetes^ 
Insulin 
Atherosclerosis 
Platelet-derived growth factor 
(PDGF) 
Virus diseases 
Influenza 
Hepatitis 
Polio 
Herpes 
Common cold 
Interferon 
Cancer 
Interferon 
Hodgkin’s disease 
Leukemia 
Breast cancer 
Anovulation 
Human chorionic gonadatropin 
Dwarfism^ 
Human growth hormone 
Pain 
Enkephalins and endorphins 
Wounds and burns 
Inflammation, 
Human growth hormone 
rheumatic diseases^ 
Bone disorders, e.g., 
Adrenocorticotrophic hormone 
(ACTH) 
Paget’s disease^ 
Calcitonin and parathyroid 
hormone 
Nerve damage 
Nerve growth factor (NGF) 
Anemia, hemorrhage 
Erythropoietin 
Hemophilia® 
Factor VIII and Factor IX 
Blood clots® 
Urokinase 
Shock® 
Serum albumin 
Immune disorders 
Cytokines 
^Indicates diseases currently treated by the drugs listed. 
SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment. 
cation of available scientific tools. These new 
molecules are valuable tools for dissecting the 
structure and function of the cell. The knowl- 
edge gained may lead to the development of 
new therapies or preventive measures for 
diseases. 
The increased availability of new \accines 
might also have serious consequences. But the 
extent to which molecular cloning will prox ide 
useful vaccines for intractable diseases is still 
unknown. For some widespread diseases, such 
as amebic dysentery, not enough is known 
about the interaction between the micro-orga- 
nism and the patient to help researchers design 
a rational plan of attack. For others, such as 
trachoma, malaria, hepatitis, and influenza, 
there is only preliminary experimental ex idence 
that a useful vaccine could he produced. (See 
table 8.) To date, the xaccine that is most likely 
to have an immediate impact combats foot-and- 
mouth disease in veterinary medicine. Fhere is 
little doubt however, that should any one of the 
vaccines for human diseases become ax ailahle, 
the societal, economic, and political conse- 
quences of a decrease in morbidity and mortali- 
ty would be significant. Many of thesf' diseases 
are particularly prevalent in less-dexeloped 
countries. The effects of dexeloping xaccimvs 
Table 8.— Major Diseases for Which Vaccines 
Need To Be Developed 
Parasitic diseases 
Hookworm 
Trachoma 
Malaria 
Schistosomiasis 
Sleeping sickness 
Viruses 
Hepatitis 
Influenza 
Foot-and-mouth disease (for cloven-hoofed animals) 
Newcastle disease virus (for poultry) 
Herpes simplex 
Mumps 
Measles 
Common cold rhinoviruses 
Varicella-zoster (shingles) 
Bacteria 
Dysentery 
Typhoid fever 
Cholera 
Traveller’s diarrhea 
SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment 
