Biotechnology Timeline

By Dove_Mochi
  • 9000 BCE

    Crops

    Humans Domesticate Crops And Livestock
    Potatoes First Cultivated For Food
  • 2000 BCE

    Fermentation

    Biotechnology used to leaven bread and ferment beer. Production of cheese and fermentation of wine begins.
  • 500 BCE

    Soybean Curds

    Moldy Soybean curds are used to treat boils in China. This is important because it also lowered blood pressure.
  • 1500

    Powdered crysanthemums

    Powdered crysanthemums was used to treat chest pains and high blood pressure.

  • Cells

    Cells are first described by Hooke.

  • Protozoa and Bacteria

    Leewenhoek discovers protozoa and bacteria. He called them “animalcules.”

  • Edward Jenner

    Edward Jenner takes pus from a cowpox lesion, inserts it into an incision on a boy’s arm. This was important as it was discovered that chickenpox could be avoided if the cowoox strain (which people didn’t die from) was injected.

  • Proteins

    Proteins are discovered. First enzyme is discovered and isolated.

  • George Mendel

    George Mandel discovers the laws of inheritance by studying the flowers in his garden. The science of genetics begins.

  • Louis Pasteur

    Louis Pasteur develops rebuttal of theory of spontaneous generation. Known as father of Microbiology. In both, added nutrient broth to flasks, bent necks of flasks into S shapes, and boiled broth to kill microbes. Dust particles from air fell into broken flasks of 1. In 2, dust kept near the tip of necks, but did not travel against gravity into flasks, keeping broth sterile. The broth in broken flasks quickly clouded–a sign that it teemed with microbial life. Broth in unbroken flasks remained.

  • Charles Darwin

    Charles Darwin publishes the theory of evolution by natural selection.

  • Bacterium

    The Escherichia coli beacterium is discovered. This is important to biotech because E Coli reacts differently with people because there are healthy strains of E Coli that can react with the deadly ones.

  • Chromosome

    The chromosome is discovered by Waldeyer . Genes are linked with hereditary disorders.

  • Herman Muller

    Herman Muller discovers that radiation causes defects in chromosomes.

  • Phages

    Phages — viruses that only infect bacteria— are discovered.

  • Sir Alexander Fleming

    Sir Alexander Fleming discovers the antibiotic penicillin by chance when he realizes the mold kills bacteria.

  • Genetic Information

    Your name is proven to carry genetic information by Oswald Avery, Colin Macleod, and Maclyn McCarty.

  • Protein Sequencer, Synthesized Enzyme

    The first automatic protein sequencer is perfected. An enzyme is synthesized in vitro for the first time.

  • Double Helical Structure of DNA

    James Watson and Francis Crick describe the double helix structure of DNA. Win the 1962 Nobel Price in Medicine or Physiology with Maurice Wilkins.

  • DNA

    DNA is made in a test tube for the first time. Sickle cell disease is shown to occur due to a change in one amino acid.

  • Insulin

    The amino acid sequence of insulin is discovered by Frederick Sanger

  • Genetic Code

    The genetic code for DNA was cracked. Code is adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine.

  • DNA Engineering Techniques

    Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer perfect generic engineering techniques to cut and paste DNA using restriction enzymes.

  • Synthesis

    The first complete synthesis of a gene occurs. Covering of restriction enzymes that cut and splice generic material specifically occurs. This is important because restriction enzymes play in important role in genetic cloning.

  • Embryonic Stem Cells

    Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines are established. Able to replace diseased or dysfunctional cells.

  • Gene Therapy

    The first federally approved gene therapy treatment is performed successfully on a 4 year-old girl with ADA-SCID.

  • Human Genome Project

    Human genome project — International effort to map all of the genes in the human genome —is launched. The draft version of the human genome is published, making it possible for researchers all around the world to begin research for treatments.

  • Dolly

    Scientist first report to the birth of Dolly. This is important because Dolly was cloned from an utter cell from an adult sheep.

  • Cloning

    The first cloned pet—a kitten— is delivered to it’s owner. It’s name was Carbon Copy or CC.

  • SARS

    SARS ( severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus is sequenced three weeks after its discovery.

  • NIH

    NIH begins a 10 year 10,000 patients study using a genetic test to predict breast cancer. Test was developed by the biotech company Genomic Health, and is already commercially available.

  • HPV Vaccine

    A recombinant vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) receives FDA approval. HPV causes warts

  • Synthetic Cell

    Researchers at J. Craig Venter Institute create the first synthetic cell.

  • Events

    trachea derived from stem cells transferred to recipient. Skin printing. Human whole genome sequencing in less than one week. First cord blood therapy FDA approved.