Applications

The field of application of Genome engineering is extensive. The area which immediately springs to mind is agriculture, but the capability to insert a gene into an organism can also be used for medical purposes, to treat genetic diseases, or in industry to make an organism produce a molecule (particularly plants or bacteria). Genome engineering is also vital in fundamental research. We now know the sequence of the entire human genome, but in most cases we do not know the role of the genes themselves. To help improve our knowledge in this area, we can use controlled DNA modification techniques to prevent or regulate the expression of a precise DNA sequence and to observe the effect that is obtained. Researchers can therefore understand the role of a gene by studying the effects of its absence or of variations in its expression or its structure.