Publisher's Synopsis
Genetic engineering is the deliberate, controlled manipulation of the genes in an organism with the intent of making that organism better in some way. This is usually done independently of the natural reproductive process. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed. Here, experts weigh-in with ethical questions and considerations. Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. Recent achievements in genome editing have resulted in progress beyond any imagination decades ago. This new technology provides tools for fast and precise alterations into genome with unprecedented efficiency and specificity. For instance, a group of targeted nucleases have been successfully used to modify genomic sequences in a wide variety of cells and organisms, including mammalians. This modification is realized by the combination of conventional gene knockout technology with genome editing, empowering the researchers to make any desired changes in a given gene or its regulatory elements to establish casual linkage between genetic variations and biological phenotypes. This new methodology completes a framework for studying gene function and regulation in vitro and in vivo. Although genome editing (GE) technologies have been used for more than 30 years, the efficiency and specificity was too low to be used in gene therapy (GT). However, the development of specific nucleases (SNs) that can enhance homologous directed recombination (HDR) up to 10,000 times and allows the generation of specific mutations have open new possibilities for the use of GE for GT applications. SNs can create specific DSBs at target locations in the genome. These DSBs must be repaired by the cell's endogenous mechanisms by either HDR, a high-fidelity reparation process, or by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), an error prone process that results in insertions or deletions (indels) at the cleavage site. Genetic Engineering Modern Tools presents insight into the modern tools of genome editing, their hurdles and their huge potential. A new era of in vivo genetic engineering has begun. The use of recombinant DNA technology has become commonplace as new products from genetically altered plants, animals, and microbes have become available for human use. In 1997, Dolly made headlines as the first successfully cloned large mammal (sheep). Since then there have been many similar advances in medicine, such as treatments for cancer; many advances in agriculture, such as transgenic insect-resistant crops; and many advances in animal husbandry, such as growth hormones and transgenic animals. Most biotechnologists envision DNA technological applications as one of the new frontiers in science with tremendous growth and discovery potential. Genetic engineering has resulted in a series of medical products. The first two commercially prepared products from recombinant DNA technology were insulin and human growth hormone, both of which were cultured in the E. coli bacteria. Crop plants have been and continue to be the focus of biotechnology as efforts are made to improve yield and profitability by improving crop resistance to insects and certain herbicides and delaying ripening (for better transport and spoilage resistance). The creation of a transgenic plant, one that has received genes from another organism, proved more difficult than animals. Unlike animals, finding a vector for plants proved to be difficult until the isolation of the Ti plasmid, harvested from a tumor-inducing (Ti) bacteria found in the soil. Genetic engineering is the deliberate, controlled manipulation of the genes in an organism with the intent of making that organism better in some way. This is usually done independently of the natural reproductive process. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed. Here, experts weigh-in with ethical questions and considerations. Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. Recent achievements in genome editing have resulted in progress beyond any imagination decades ago. This new technology provides tools for fast and precise alterations into genome with unprecedented efficiency and specificity. For instance, a group of targeted nucleases have been successfully used to modify genomic sequences in a wide variety of cells and organisms, including mammalians. This modification is realized by the combination of conventional gene knockout technology with genome editing, empowering the researchers to make any desired changes in a given gene or its regulatory elements to establish casual linkage between genetic variations and biological phenotypes. This new methodology completes a framework for studying gene function and regulation in vitro and in vivo. Although genome editing (GE) technologies have been used for more than 30 years, the efficiency and specificity was too low to be used in gene therapy (GT). However, the development of specific nucleases (SNs) that can enhance homologous directed recombination (HDR) up to 10,000 times and allows the generation of specific mutations have open new possibilities for the use of GE for GT applications. SNs can create specific DSBs at target locations in the genome. These DSBs must be repaired by the cell's endogenous mechanisms by either HDR, a high-fidelity reparation process, or by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), an error prone process that results in insertions or deletions (indels) at the cleavage site. Genetic Engineering Modern Tools presents insight into the modern tools of genome editing, their hurdles and their huge potential. A new era of in vivo genetic engineering has begun. The use of recombinant DNA technology has become commonplace as new products from genetically altered plants, animals, and microbes have become available for human use. In 1997, Dolly made headlines as the first successfully cloned large mammal (sheep). Since then there have been many similar advances in medicine, such as treatments for cancer; many advances in agriculture, such as transgenic insect-resistant crops; and many advances in animal husbandry, such as growth hormones and transgenic animals. Most biotechnologists envision DNA technological applications as one of the new frontiers in science with tremendous growth and discovery potential. Genetic engineering has resulted in a series of medical products. The first two commercially prepared products from recombinant DNA technology were insulin and human growth hormone, both of which were cultured in the E. coli bacteria. Crop plants have been and continue to be the focus of biotechnology as efforts are made to improve yield and profitability by improving crop resistance to insects and certain herbicides and delaying ripening (for better transport and spoilage resistance). The creation of a transgenic plant, one that has received genes from another organism, proved more difficult than animals. Unlike animals, finding a vector for plants proved to be difficult until the isolation of the Ti plasmid, harvested from a tumor-inducing (Ti) bacteria found in the soil. Genetic engineering is the deliberate, controlled manipulation of the genes in an organism with the intent of making that organism better in some way. This is usually done independently of the natural reproductive process. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed. Here, experts weigh-in with ethical questions and considerations. Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. Recent achievements in genome editing have resulted in progress beyond any imagination decades ago. This new technology provides tools for fast and precise alterations into genome with unprecedented efficiency and specificity. For instance, a group of targeted nucleases have been successfully used to modify genomic sequences in a wide variety of cells and organisms, including mammalians. This modification is realized by the combination of conventional gene knockout technology with genome editing, empowering the researchers to make any desired changes in a given gene or its regulatory elements to establish casual linkage between genetic variations and biological phenotypes. This new methodology completes a framework for studying gene function and regulation in vitro and in vivo. Although genome editing (GE) technologies have been used for more than 30 years, the efficiency and specificity was too low to be used in gene therapy (GT). However, the development of specific nucleases (SNs) that can enhance homologous directed recombination (HDR) up to 10,000 times and allows the generation of specific mutations have open new possibilities for the use of GE for GT applications. SNs can create specific DSBs at target locations in the genome. These DSBs must be repaired by the cell's endogenous mechanisms by either HDR, a high-fidelity reparation process, or by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), an error prone process that results in insertions or deletions (indels) at the cleavage site. Genetic Engineering Modern Tools presents insight into the modern tools of genome editing, their hurdles and their huge potential. A new era of in vivo genetic engineering has begun. The use of recombinant DNA technology has become commonplace as new products from genetically altered plants, animals, and microbes have become available for human use. In 1997, Dolly made headlines as the first successfully cloned large mammal (sheep). Since then there have been many similar advances in medicine, such as treatments for cancer; many advances in agriculture, such as transgenic insect-resistant crops; and many advances in animal husbandry, such as growth hormones and transgenic animals. Most biotechnologists envision DNA technological applications as one of th
