recombinant DNA

noun

: genetically engineered DNA usually incorporating DNA from more than one species of organism

Examples of recombinant DNA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Newspaper coverage highlighted the activities of Jeremy Rifkin, who has been a persistent critic of biotechnology since the recombinant DNA controversy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1976. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2014 Communicate the unknown risks of new technology The 1975 conference was born out of a concern about recombinant DNA technology, which uses enzymes and lab techniques to create new genes. Michelle Cheng, Quartz, 3 May 2023 The genetic technique that Dr. Riggs and Itakura developed, using recombinant DNA, is also technological foundation of monoclonal antibodies, a therapy widely used in treating cancer, autoimmune disorders, macular degeneration, covid-19 and other disorders. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 Enter the genomic therapies, which Theodore Friedmann of the University of California, San Diego, first proposed for genetic disease in 1972, and which took a step toward reality the same year with the production of recombinant DNA by Paul Berg at Stanford University. Carolyn Barber, Scientific American, 17 July 2021 With techniques such as recombinant DNA, finding the right genome sequence in one organism to trigger expression of particular proteins or traits in another requires as much luck as skill. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 11 Dec. 2013 In the early 2000s, David Ayares, then COO of a Scottish company called PPL Therapeutics, used recombinant DNA technology and cloning to create pigs as a source of solid organs. Megan Molteni, STAT, 24 Jan. 2022 The enzymes have helped reveal the nature of disease and hastened the rise of recombinant DNA technology, which has been used to create human insulin, a vaccine for hepatitis B, and diagnostic tests for HIV. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2020 In the 1970s the pioneers of molecular biology famously formulated guidelines for recombinant DNA at the Asilomar conference. Erin Biba, Scientific American, 1 June 2015 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recombinant DNA.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recombinant DNA was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near recombinant DNA

Cite this Entry

“Recombinant DNA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recombinant%20DNA. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.

Medical Definition

recombinant DNA

noun
: genetically engineered DNA usually incorporating DNA from more than one species of organism

More from Merriam-Webster on recombinant DNA

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!