Detection

Genetic engineering has its detractors when it comes to genetically modified food, though that's a debatable issue.

But there won't be much debate about the next generation of genetic engineering - because it's going to diagnose disease.

"[R]esearchers inserted the equivalent of a computer program into the DNA of the bacterial cells. The bacteria thus programmed detect the abnormal presence of glucose in the urine of diabetic patients. This work is the first step in the use of programmable cells for medical diagnosis.