Gene Technology

Genetic Engineering Sometimes called genetic modification, is the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome. This may mean changing one base pair (A-T or C-G), deleting a whole region of DNA, or introducing an additional copy of a gene. It may also mean extracting DNA from another organism’s genome and combining it with the DNA of that individual. Used by scientists to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism. Can be applied to any organism, from a virus to a sheep. Can be used to produce plants that have a higher nutritional value or can tolerate exposure to herbicides.

Gel Electrophoresis A procedure used to separate and analyze gene fragments at one end of a porous gel and applying electric voltage to the gel. Purpose: Analyze different fragments of DNA Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-DxJ3oJzE

Gene Splicing Gene splicing is a technique used in genetic engineering where the DNA of a living thing is edited, in some cases replacing existing genes with genes taken from another plant or animal Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9M-r1dXcE

DNA Fingerprinting DNA fingerprinting is a test to identify and evaluate the genetic information-called DNA in a person's cells. It is called a "fingerprint" because it is very unlikely that any two people would have exactly the same DNA. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdbYggQ-c0

Gene Therapy The process of changing a gene to treat a disease or disorder. Example: A missing or faulty gene is replaced with a normal, working gene. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8coZi1S 8L8M

Cloning Clones are organisms that are exact genetic copies. Every single bit of their DNA is identical. Clones can happen naturally—identical twins are just one of many examples. Or they can be made in the lab Purpose: Can be used in experiments aimed at understanding disease and developing new treatments for disease. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoEWYJHf0kU