A branch of genetics concerned with the alteration of the genetic material of an organism to produce a desired change in the organism’s characteristics. In practice, genetic engineering has mainly been used to mass-produce a variety of substances that are useful in medicine. A gene responsible for making a useful protein is identified and inserted into another cell (most often a bacterium or a yeast) that reproduces rapidly to form a colony of cells containing the gene. This colony produces the protein in large amounts. Some human hormones (notably insulin and growth hormone) and proteins such as factor VIII (used to treat haemophilia) are made in this way.
Genetic engineering |
|
|