See Functional food. An organism that causes disease. The manufacture of medical products from genetically modified plants or animals. Plasmids are used to transfer genes from one microorganism or plant to another because they are capable of replicating independently in a host cell. A large molecule made up of long chains of sequenced amino acids.
Proteins build tissues and carry out a number of critical functions in the body.
There are many types of proteins, each one with its own special function. Hemoglobin, hormones and enzymes are examples of proteins. An enzyme that cuts DNA at a particular base sequence to provide gaps for the insertion of new genes. A virus that has RNA as its genetic material. When introduced into a host cell, it is used as a template to produce viral DNA, which leads to the formation of more, identical viruses.