The phrase "target organism" refers to a living thing, like a plant or an animal, that is the focus of study or treatment. It is the specific organism that researchers or scientists are interested in or trying to affect in some way. Full definition
Noninvasive genetic sampling enables biomonitoring without the need to directly observe or disturb target organisms. (sciencedaily.com)
When Boeke met with Sc2.0 colleagues last summer to discuss their next target organism, San Francisco, California — based futurist Andrew Hessel of the software company Autodesk «sort of made this impassioned speech» for a new human genome project that would capture the public's imagination and inspire the field around a single goal, Boeke says. (sciencemag.org)
Each DNA fragment was designed to bind to one end of complementary DNA from the target organism: the anthrax bacterium. (sciencemag.org)