recombinant
Meaning of recombinant: Recombinant describes DNA, proteins, or organisms engineered in a laboratory by joining genetic material from more than one source.
Definition of recombinant
Recombinant describes DNA, a protein, a cell, or an organism produced by combining genetic material from two or more different sources rather than occurring naturally in that combined form. Scientists typically create recombinant DNA by inserting a gene of interest, often from a human or animal, into a host organism such as bacteria or yeast, which then reads that gene as its own and produces the corresponding protein.
This approach allows proteins that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain in usable quantities to be manufactured at scale. Recombinant insulin, growth hormone, clotting factors, and various vaccine components are all produced this way rather than being extracted directly from human or animal tissue.
Recombinant technology is also used more broadly in research and medicine, including to produce antibodies and other biologic drugs, and to study how a particular gene or protein functions once it is expressed outside its original organism.
Used in a sentence
The patient was started on a recombinant insulin product as part of the treatment plan.
Good to know
A recombinant protein used as medication, such as recombinant insulin, is manufactured in a laboratory host organism rather than extracted from human or animal tissue, a distinction relevant to both its production and its purity.
Word origin
Where “recombinant” comes from
Formed from Latin re-, meaning again, combined with combinare, meaning to combine or unite.