Working with Genes

You probably know that DNA is the molecule responsible for inheritance. And you know from crime shows on TV that parts of our DNA molecules are unique to each individual.
The sequences of chemical building blocks strung together to make up a DNA molecule are instructions, or blueprints, for a cell.

What Do DNA Instructions Do?

These instructions, or genes, tell the cell how to make each of its proteins. The DNA instructions are “written” in a chemical language called the genetic code. Because we have also learned how to change the code in DNA molecules, we can give a cell new instructions. This means we can tell it how to make the protein we want, or how to do some other job. This is called genetic engineering.

Genetic Engineering in Action

One example of genetic engineering is when geneticists insert the gene for a human protein called interferon into hamster cells that can then be grown in bioreactors. The interferon produced in the bioreators is then used to treat multiple sclerosis.