Genetic Engineering

• Genetic engineering is a process which involves modifying the genome of an organism by introducing a gene from another organism to give a desired characteristic
• Plant crops have been genetically engineered to be resistant to diseases or to produce bigger better fruits
• Bacterial cells have been genetically engineered to produce useful substances such as human insulin to treat diabetes
• In genetic engineering, the genes from the chromosomes of humans and other organisms can be cut out and transferred to cells of other organisms
• Crops that have had their genes modifies this way are called genetically modified (GM) crops
• GM crops include ones that are resistant to insect attack or herbicides
• GM crops generally show increased yields
• Concerns about GM crops include the effect on populations of wild flowers and insects
• Some feel the effects of eating GM crops on human health have not been fully explored
• Modern medical research is exploring the possibility of genetic modification yo overcome some inherited s=diorders
• In genetic engineering:

  • enzymes are used to isolate the required gene
  • this gene is inserted into a vector, usually a bacterial plasmid or a virus
  • the vector is used to insert the gene into the required cells
  • genes are transferred to the cells of animals, plants, or microorganisms at an early stage in their development so that they develop with desired characteristics