Download Sample Opposition Essay 1

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Student Name
Amber Whitlock
English 2010
29 October 2016
Opposition Essay
Diseases have been plaguing humanity since the first day our ancestors started exploring
the world. As time went on and our technology and medicine improved, so did our quality of life.
Consequently, our expected lifespan skyrocketed, especially in recent years due to various
advancements in medicine against various diseases. If one can imagine finding a cure for a
disease to that of the act of breaking a wall, then it genetically predisposed diseases and other ills
caused by errors in our DNA sequences would be one of the last barriers. Cancer is a well-known
disease that is caused by errors in DNA sequences in a cell which causes it to multiply rapidly
and uncontrollably. In order to combat such an unrelenting ill, scientists have developed several
chemicals that destroy these cells; it is commonly referred to as chemotherapeutic medicines.
These treatments however, are not perfect, and while they may kill cancer cells, healthy cells are
also targeted by these powerful chemicals, resulting in patients experiencing hair loss, bone mass
decrease, and an overall weak immune system as well as the psychological effects that it can
cause.
The side-effects mentioned before have driven scientists to search for various ways to
improve treatments and medicines. Recently there has been an increase popularity for algae,
especially the spirulina species, as it has been shown to have chemotherapeutic potential thanks
to genetic engineering. Such modification makes it for the diatoms of spirulina algae to only
target cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. While it may seem that this is the way to solving
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the side-effects of chemotherapy, it is important to keep in mind that experimenting with algae
diatoms and chemotherapy is still in mere infancy, and as such people should not reach
conclusions, and experiment on humans as side-effects are still not fully understood.
Using diatoms as a drug-delivery vessel for chemotherapy has shown high potential, but
as the Chemical and Engineering News put it, “these particles can be expensive to synthesize and
require toxic chemicals, such as hydrofluoric acid, to make their all-important pores” (Halford).
It is important to make sure that the diatoms containing these toxic chemicals do not spill out
their contents into the human body, which is the main reason why this procedure of using algae
to deliver drugs to kill cancer cells should only be considered to be in development.
It is important for scientists to focus on more efficient drugs against cancer, and to do that
more studies may be needed to understand the different natures of cancer. One of the believed
causes of malignant tumors occur through errors in genetic material, such as DNA. While this
macromolecule is not considered the largest and most complex of the group, it is still not
understood by scientists, and there are certainly many surprising discoveries relating to DNA.
Recently, Oxford scientists have discovered that while better cell performance may bring
forth an overall better health, is has been reported that “a higher number of chromosomal
proteins also provide more potential targets for harmful mutations” (Adkins). In order to have a
better understanding of cancer, it is important to understand first the possible causes, and studies
like the one previously mentioned provide better insights for the advancement of medicine. As
one of the scientists from Oxford put it, “the only way we can alleviate the negative effects of
these alterations is by getting an exhaustive knowledge about these proteins and their function,
helping us to develop therapies to reinstate the correct communication with DNA and the cell”
(Adkins).
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In conclusion, the development of diatoms for the delivery of drug therapy is still at an
early stage and should not be confused as the confirmed method of performing chemotherapy
without side-effects. While it may show promises of sparing the healthy cells through the
diatom’s selective bio-porosity, it is not fully understood up to what point will the diatoms
contain the medicine, and it is also not known if there could be a spill while delivering the drugs
into the body. Also, as mentioned before, DNA is not fully understood and as such it is just as
important to be studying the effects of changing certain sequences in order to understand how
such changes may cause cancers in the future. As Adkins put it, “our knowledge about
chromosomal proteins will never be complete until we determine how they came to be and to
fulfill their current roles in the cell. Only evolutionary analyses can answer that question.
Understanding this better prepares us to take action in the future” (Adkins).
To further reach better treatments and medicine it is important to have a holistic approach
when it comes to understanding types of cancer. Using algae to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs
may be one possible method, but scientists should look for many other ways and many different
solutions through understanding of the human body and how cancer cells are formed and how
they behave once they start multiplying in the body.
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Works Cited Page
Adkins, JoAnn. “Scientists Unlock Tangled Mysteries of DNA.” News at FIU Florida
International University, FIU, 16 Mar. 2015, https://news.fiu.edu/2015/03/fiu-scientistsunlock-tangled-mysteries-of-dna/85770.
Halford, Bethany. “Recruiting Algae To Fight Cancer.” CEN RSS, American Chemical Society,
16 Nov. 2015, https://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i45/recruiting-algae-fightcancer.html?type=paidarticlecontent.
Mathew, Babu. “Nutrition and Cancer.” Evaluation of Chemoprevention of Oral Cancer with
Spirulina Fusiformis: : Vol 24, No 2, Regional Cancer Center, 4 Aug. 2009,
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01635589509514407.