Genetic engineering

How it is used

A broad term used in teaching, industry, law and the media. It covers older recombinant DNA methods as well as newer gene editing. Scientists usually name the exact technique, but 'genetic engineering' is common in regulations, textbooks and public debate about GMOs.

Example sentences

1. Insulin for diabetes has been produced by genetic engineering since the 1980s.

2. The course covers the basics of genetic engineering, from restriction enzymes to CRISPR.

Common collocations

• genetic engineering techniques
• plant genetic engineering
• advances in genetic engineering
• use genetic engineering

Related terms

• gene editingMaking precise, targeted changes to the DNA of a living cell or organism, such as cutting out, correcting or inserting a sequence at a chosen position.
• GMOGenetically modified organism: a plant, animal or microorganism whose DNA has been changed in a way that does not happen naturally through mating or natural recombination.
• recombinant proteinA protein produced by putting its gene into host cells such as bacteria, yeast or mammalian cells, which then make the protein in large amounts.
• plasmidA small, circular piece of DNA found naturally in bacteria and used in the lab as a tool to carry and copy genes inside cells.
• CRISPRA gene-editing technology, adapted from a bacterial defense system, in which a guide RNA leads an enzyme such as Cas9 to a chosen DNA sequence so that it can be cut and changed.

More terms: Genetic Engineering and CRISPR

• guide RNA
• knockout
• vector
• restriction enzyme
• clone
• transfection
• off-target effect