Major Innovations in the History of Biotechnology

Invention of Microscope

Sep 21, 1600

The term "cells" was coined by Robert Hook.
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek observed first microorganisms.

Simple Laws of Inheritance

Sep 21, 1850

Gregor Mendel discovered traits that allowed one to predict the outcome of crosses with certain traits.

Louis Pasteur

Sep 21, 1857

Described scientific basis for fermentation, wine making, and the brewing of beer, established science of microbiology, and proposed the Germ Theory. Microorganisms were responsible for infectious diseases.

Nucleic Acid in White Blood Cells

Sep 21, 1869

John Miescher found nucleic acid in white blood cells from pus in bandages. Led scientists to believe that DNA might be the inheritable material of an organism.

Genes on Chromosomes

Sep 21, 1910

From studying fruit flies, Thomas Hunt Morgan discovered that genes were on chromosomes.

Genetic Material Movable

Sep 21, 1928

Using Mice, Fred Griffith proved that genetic material could be moved from one strain of bacteria to another.

Penicillin

Sep 21, 1928

Sir Alexander Fleming isolated penicillin from fungus. Used to develope drugs.

ATCG

Sep 21, 1935

In DNA, the number of units of adenine equaled number of thymine, and the number of units of cytosine equaled number of guanine.

"One gene produces one enzyme"

Sep 21, 1941

Beadle and Tatum proposed the "One gene produces on enzyme" hypothesis.

DNA was Hereditary

Sep 21, 1944

Avery, McCarthy, and McLeod established that DNA was the hereditary material that was transferred.

"Blender Experiment"

Sep 21, 1953

Hershey and Chase proved viruses replicated using DNA. They also proved that the role of DNA as the hereditary material.

DNA a double helix

Sep 21, 1953

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins established that DNA was a double helix through X-ray crystallography.

STructure of DNA

Sep 21, 1953

Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA.

Plasmid DNA and Bacteria

Sep 21, 1953

Hayes discoveres plasmid DNA, and circular pieces of DNA are found in bacteria.

Messenger RNA

Sep 21, 1961

Walter Gilbert discovered mechanism of gene expression through the study of messenger RNA.

Bacterial Restriction Enzymes

Sep 21, 1962

Arber, Nathans, and Smith discovered bacterial restriction enzymes that cut DNA.

Codons

Sep 21, 1966

Khorana and Nirenberg discovered the 64 codons that code for the 20 amino acids that make up proteins.

DNA Plasmids Isolated

Sep 21, 1967

Vinograd purified and isolated DNA plasmids.

Escherichia Coli

Sep 22, 1970

Madel and Higa were responsible for the first transformation of the Escherichia Coli bacterium.

Cloning Experiments

Sep 22, 1972

Conducted by Boyer and Cohen.

Genentech

Sep 22, 1973

World's first genetic engineering company was founded.

Recombinant DNA

Sep 22, 1976

Scientists drew up recombinant DNA in mircroorganisms.

Sequence DNA

Sep 22, 1977

Sanger and Gilbert found a way to sequence DNA. They were able to read the correct order of bases of ACGT.

E. Coli

Sep 22, 1978

Boyer inserted a synthetic insulin gene into E. Coli.

RFLP

Sep 22, 1978

Botstein found Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism, a DNA fingerprint.

Vitro Fertilization

Sep 22, 1978

Louise Joy Brown was the first human baby that resulted from the sperm and egg joining in a petri dish and then implanted in the womb.

Start up of biotech companies

Sep 22, 1980

Genetically altered life forms can be patented is what the U.S. Supreme Court ruled. Biotech companies got upset.

Transgenic Animals

Sep 22, 1980

Ohio University scientists made the first transgenic animals.

Eli Lilly Company

Sep 22, 1982

Placed a human insulin gene inside bacteria.

Agrobacterium-mediated

Sep 22, 1983

Schell, Chilton, Van Montagu, Fraley, and Horsch transformed plants.

PCR

Sep 22, 1983

Kary Mullis invented plymerase chain reaction to amplify DNA.

DNA profiling

Sep 22, 1985

Jeffriese applied RFLP in DNA profiling to study criminal cases.

Automated Fluorescence Sequencer

Sep 22, 1985

Sped up the labor-intense process.

Gene Gun

Sep 22, 1985

Genes were able to move into an organism.

Safety Guidlines

Sep 22, 1994

NIH revised safety guidlines to include plants grown in green houses and animals raised in barns.

C. elegans

Sep 22, 1996

Andrew Fire and Craig Mello discovered RNA interference, silencing of genes.

MAb

Sep 22, 1997

Kohler, Milstein, and Jerne used monoclonal antibody.

Yeast Artificial Chromosomes

Sep 22, 1997

Maynard Olson invented YAC's, which are expression vectors for large proteins.

Dolly

Sep 22, 1997

Ian Wilmut cloned Dolly the sheep from an adult cell of a ewe at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

DNA microarray technology

Sep 22, 1997

DNA chip was used to look at the expression of genes of an organism on a microscope slide or silicon chip.

DNA sequencer

Sep 22, 1999

Dabiri and Garner invented a DNA sequenver that had a capability of sequencing 76,800 base pairs per hour.

Riboswitch

Sep 22, 2002

Ron Breaker coined the term Riboswitch for part of molecule that regulates its own activity and gene expresssion.

Human Genome Project

Sep 22, 2003

The Human Genome Project was completed by Francis Collins and Craig Venter. It provided the ability to find genes and to the sequencing of other genomes.