genetic engineering

noun

: the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun

Examples of genetic engineering in a Sentence

The crops were made resistant to disease by genetic engineering.

Recent Examples on the Web

Genetic Engineering and Retroviruses Hot on the heels of this attempt, the field of genetic engineering blossomed and provided some novel tools that could be applied to gene therapies. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Inside a brick and glass building in an office park, scientists start by using the latest genetic engineering techniques to edit the DNA in pig skin cells. —Rob Stein, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024

And there’s a potential disadvantage to genetic engineering with Fanzor, says Esvelt. —Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024

What makes these cells so attractive to genetic engineering? —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2022

Colossal has been working to bring the mammoth, the dodo bird and other extinct species back to life using the latest cloning and genetic engineering techniques. —Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024

When Gore held a hearing on genetic engineering — at a time when scientists were sharply divided on the emerging capabilities — Sharples sat beside the congressman, passing notes and prompting him to probe further. —Michael Laris, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023

Another Nobel winner, Paul Berg, a father of genetic engineering, was 96. —William McDonald, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2023

Compared to classic genetic engineering, which was a slow and inefficient process, Church says Crispr allows researchers to make many simultaneous edits and thus address multiple incompatibilities between pigs and humans at once. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

genetic engineering

noun

: the alteration of genetic material and especially the cutting up and joining together of DNA from one or more species for introduction into a living thing in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun

Medical Definition

genetic engineering

noun

-ˌen-jə-ˈnir-iŋ 

: the modification of an organism's genetic material that involves using applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology to alter or delete a DNA segment or to insert a new DNA segment from a different species in order to express (see express sense 3) a desired trait or traits : genetic modification

Since genetic engineering offers the possibility of altering the amino acid sequence of the expressed protein by adding or substituting codons, it is possible to generate alternative sequences with tunable properties that can be used as promising biomaterials for medical applications.

—Sílvia Gomes et al., Progress in Polymer Science

genetically engineered adjective

… vaccination with genetically engineered hypoallergenic allergen derivatives has the potential to reduce the pathological IgE response underlying allergic disease and, hence, may prevent the progression of disease.

—V. Niederberger et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

genetic engineer noun

Recent experiments have been used to "edit" genomes of various plant, animal and other species, including humans, with unprecedented precision. … These experiments represent advances along a spectrum of technological abilities that genetic engineers have been working on since the advent of recombinant DNA techniques.

—Pamela L. Sankar and Mildred K. Cho, The American Journal of Bioethics