Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome

Genome

In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....

 using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA

Recombinant DNA

Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...

 or synthetic genes into the organism of interest. The introduction of new DNA does not require the use of classical genetic

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....

 methods, however traditional breeding methods are typically used for the propagation of recombinant organisms.

An organism that is generated through the introduction of recombinant DNA

Recombinant DNA

Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...

 is considered to be a genetically modified organism

Genetically modified organism

A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...

.