General Article Genetic modification, genome editing and CRISPR

Topic Selected: Biotech and Bioethics Book Volume: 352
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By the Personal Genetics Education Project based in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (pgEd.org). As the technology is moving at a rapid pace, pgEd recommends visiting http://pged.org/genetic-modification-genome-editing-and-crispr/ for regular updates related to this article.

Different countries and organizations define genetic modification (GM) slightly differently. In general, GM refers to making changes to a living thing’s genetic information that would otherwise not occur by natural mating or reproduction. This would usually involve using methods of biotechnology, such as ‘recombinant DNA,’ ‘gene targeting’, or ‘genome editing’ to add, delete or otherwise change an organism’s DNA. Genetic modification can also involve moving genetic material between species.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including microbes, cells, plants and animals, have long been used in scientific and medical research as a way to understand processes in biology as well as the mecha...

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