gene editing

noun

variants or genome editing

: the use of biotechnological techniques to make changes to specific DNA sequences in the genome of a living organism

Fundamental research into the ways by which bacteria defend themselves against viruses has recently led to the development of powerful new techniques that make it possible to perform gene editing—that is, precisely altering genetic sequences—in living cells, including those of humans, at much higher accuracy and efficiency than ever before possible.

—David Baltimore et al.

The era of straightforward genome editing raises ethical questions that will need to be addressed by scientists and society at large.

—Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

a gene-editing technique called CRISPR

Examples of gene editing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Three generations of Chinese-Americans try to find their way in an ambitious novel that touches everything from the Chinese Cultural Revolution to gene editing. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024

Besides trying to develop drugs, some researchers are exploring gene editing to transform APOE4 into a variant called APOE2, which appears to protect against Alzheimer’s. —Pam Belluck, New York Times, 6 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above