gene editing

noun

variants or genome 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

Examples of gene editing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Patrick Hsu, co-founder of the Arc Institute, explained that this allows for a more complex kind of gene editing. —Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

While this method hasn’t led to sufficient suppression of mosquito populations, the study authors expressed hope that their gene editing strategy might help increase its effectiveness. —Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

All of this is potentially very useful for gene editing. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2024

Under her leadership, in 2014 DARPA established the Biological Technologies Office to oversee basic and applied research in areas including gene editing, neurosciences, and synthetic biology. —IEEE Spectrum, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above