The main biotechnology techniques that are used to develop LMOs include the use of in vitro nucleic acid methodologies to alter the expression of specific genes. Another method is cell fusion whereby cells from two different organisms are fused together resulting in an organism containing genetic material from parental cells that did not originate from the same taxonomic family.

LMOs are most commonly developed through the use of in vitro nucleic acid techniques by inserting, deleting or modifying a gene or DNA/RNA sequence into a recipient or parental organism.

The terms genetic modification, genetic engineering, recombinant DNA and DNA manipulation are terms that apply to the direct modification of an organism’s genes. The terms genetically modified organism (GMO) as well as genetically engineered or transgenic organism are often used interchangeably for LMOs. The Cartagena Protocol emphasizes the “living” nature of the organism and products thereof, namely, processed materials that are of living modified organism origin, containing detectable novel combinations of replicable genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.

LMOs can also be produced through cell fusion where cells from two different organisms that do not belong to the same taxonomic family are fused resulting in an organism containing the genetic information from both parental cells. The resulting LMO may contain the complete genomes of the parental organisms or parts of their genomes. Cell fusion can be applied to bacterial, fungal, plant or animal cells, using a variety of techniques to promote fusion.