Genetic Engineering

A revolutionary genome-editing tool adapted from a bacterial immune defense system. It uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 nuclease to a specific DNA sequence, where it creates a double-strand break that can be repaired to delete, replace, or insert genetic material.

The set of techniques used to combine DNA molecules from two or more different sources into a single molecule, typically by inserting a gene of interest into a vector such as a plasmid. The recombinant molecule can then be introduced into a host organism for replication or expression.

A medical approach that treats or prevents disease by introducing, altering, or replacing genetic material within a patient's cells. It can be performed ex vivo (cells removed, modified, and returned) or in vivo (genetic material delivered directly into the body).

Small, circular DNA molecules found naturally in bacteria that can replicate independently of chromosomal DNA. In genetic engineering, plasmids are modified to carry foreign genes, selectable markers, and regulatory elements, serving as vehicles to introduce recombinant DNA into host cells.

Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques in ways that do not occur naturally through mating or natural recombination. GMOs include transgenic plants, animals, and microorganisms engineered for agriculture, medicine, or research.

A technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA by millions of copies through repeated cycles of denaturation, annealing, and extension using a thermostable DNA polymerase. PCR is essential for cloning, diagnostics, forensics, and gene analysis.

Naturally occurring bacterial enzymes that recognize and cleave DNA at specific short nucleotide sequences called restriction sites. They are fundamental tools for cutting DNA at predictable locations, enabling the construction of recombinant DNA molecules.

A genetic engineering technology that biases inheritance so that a modified gene is transmitted to offspring at rates greater than the normal 50%, allowing the engineered trait to spread rapidly through a wild population over successive generations.

An interdisciplinary field that applies engineering principles to biology, designing and constructing new biological parts, devices, and systems or redesigning existing natural biological systems for useful purposes.

A laboratory technique that separates DNA, RNA, or protein molecules based on their size and electrical charge by drawing them through a gel matrix with an electric field. Smaller fragments migrate faster and farther through the gel.