Definition of gene 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
- a gene-editing technique called CRISPR
