gene editing

noun

variants: or genome editing

|Updated on: 25 May 2018

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

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

a gene-editing technique called CRISPR

Recent Examples of gene editing from the Web

China is also seeking a lead in gene editing in human medicine and livestock, in some cases pursuing research with fewer regulatory restrictions than U.S. counterparts.

— lucy craymer, WSJ, "Scientists in China Race to Edit Crop Genes, Sowing Unease in U.S.," 6 May 2018
While those companies situate the bulk of their gene editing efforts in the U.S., Syngenta is basing its efforts in Beijing, where around 50 employees now research the technology.

— lucy craymer, WSJ, "Scientists in China Race to Edit Crop Genes, Sowing Unease in U.S.," 6 May 2018
Each new enzyme will not only advance Crispr’s gene editing powers, but extend its capabilities far beyond DNA manipulation.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Crispr," 27 Apr. 2018
Urnov, who’s worked with gene editing for more than a decade, has similar worries, especially about the X-Files episode.

— alessandra potenza, The Verge, "Rampage may stoke CRISPR fears, but scientists say it could be educational, too," 18 Apr. 2018
Jerome’s lab continues to study how to use gene editing to treat herpes, as well as HIV, hepatitis B and HPV.

— becky little, Smithsonian, "Can We Gene-Edit Herpes Away?," 23 Mar. 2018
In a paper published in August in Science, scientists addressed this potential biohazard by knocking out the retroviral DNA with the gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "Pig Cells That Won’t Go Retro," 24 Jan. 2018
The Chinese researchers said cloning of fetal cells could be combined with gene editing techniques to produce large numbers of monkeys with certain genetic defects that cause disease in people.

— malcolm ritter, Houston Chronicle, "Scientists successfully clone monkeys; are humans up next?," 24 Jan. 2018
The Chinese researchers said cloning of fetal cells could be combined with gene editing techniques to produce large numbers of monkeys with certain genetic defects that cause disease in people.

— Time, "Scientists Have Cloned Monkeys for the First Time. Are Humans Next?," 24 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gene editing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.