Genetically Modified Organism Definition, Examples, and Facts.
                     Genetically Modified 
Organism: Definition, 
Examples, and Facts
What is a GMO?
• Genetically modified organism (GMO), organism whose genome has been 
engineered in the laboratory in order to favour the expression of desired 
physiological traits or the generation of desired biological products.
Source: www.britannica.com
How do we make GMOs?
• To create a GMO, we change specific characteristics by using lab techniques to 
delete or alter particular sections of DNA.
• We can also change an organism’s characteristics by introducing new pieces of 
DNA into their genomes. 
Source: www.yourgenome.org
Process of creating GMOs
• DNA taken from the same species
• DNA taken from a different species
• DNA made synthetically in the lab
Source: www.yourgenome.org
Techniques used to modify a 
genome
• 'Agrobacterium-mediated' genetic modification is a technique used to introduce 
new DNA into a plant genome using a modified microbe.
• 'Gene targeting' is a technique used to introduce new DNA into selected regions 
of a genome through a process called homologous recombination.
Source: www.yourgenome.org
Why do we make GMOs?
• GMOs are generally made for medical, environmental, or commercial reasons. 
GM bacteria have been developed that have had a gene for insulin added to 
their genome. 
• These bacteria produce large quantities of insulin as they grow, which is then 
extracted and used by people with diabetes.
Source: www.yourgenome.org
GMOs in agriculture
• Genetically modified (GM) foods were first approved for human consumption in 
the United States in 1994, and by 2014–15 about 90 percent of the corn, cotton, 
and soybeans planted in the United States were GM.
Source: www.britannica.com
GMOs in medicine and 
research
• GMOs have emerged as one of the mainstays of biomedical research since the 
1980s. 
• For example, GM animal models of human genetic diseases enabled 
researchers to test novel therapies and to explore the roles of candidate risk 
factors and modifiers of disease outcome. 
Source: www.britannica.com
Role of GMOs in environmental 
management
• Another application of GMOs is in the management of environmental issues. 
For example, some bacteria can produce biodegradable plastics, and the 
transfer of that ability to microbes that can be easily grown in the laboratory may 
enable the wide-scale “greening” of the plastics industry.
Source: www.britannica.com
Sociopolitical relevance of 
GMOs
• While GMOs offer many potential benefits to society, the potential risks 
associated with them have fueled controversy, especially in the food industry. 
• Many skeptics warn about the dangers that GM crops may pose to human 
health.
Source: www.britannica.com
Conclusion
• GMOs produced through genetic technologies have become a part of everyday 
life. However, while GMOs have benefited human society in many ways, some 
disadvantages exist; therefore, the production of GMOs remains a highly 
controversial topic in many parts of the world.
Source: www.britannica.com