Genetic Engineering is a technology that enables scientists to create plants, animals and other organisms that would not occur naturally by manipulating genes.

There are concerns that genetically engineered food could cause allergic or toxic reactions in people and harm the environment. Many processed foods in the U.S. contain genetically engineered ingredients.

Scripps, like most biotechnology companies, is actively involved in genetic engineering.

Scripps scientists use genetic engineering to create new animals to be used as “disease models” in research. Scripps scientists are also working to create genetically engineered, or “transgenic,” animals to be used as a source of organs and tissues for transplantation.

Inserting or removing genes from an animal’s genetic makeup is unpredictable, and can have disastrous consequences for the animals involved.

The creation of genetically engineered animals is also incredibly wasteful. Only a small percentage of animals in experiments are “successfully” born with the foreign genetic material; those who do not have the desired traits are killed.