Biotechnology Timeline: Important Events And
Discoveries In Biotechnology

1977:

The Age of biotechnology arrives with "somatostatin" - a human
growth hormone-releasing inhibitory factor, the first human
protein manufactured in bacteria by Genentech, Inc. A
synthetic, recombinant gene was used to clone a protein for the
first time.

1978:

Genentech, Inc. and The City of Hope National Medical Center
announce the successful laboratory production of human insulin
using recombinant DNA technology. Hutchinson and Edgell show it
is possible to introduce specific mutations at specific sites in
a DNA molecule.

1979:

Sir Walter Bodmer suggests a way of using DNA technology to
find gene markers to show up specific genetic diseases and
their carriers. John Baxter reports cloning the gene for human
growth hormone.

1980:

The prokaryote model, E. coli, is used to produce insulin and
other medicine, in human form. Researchers successfully
introduce a human gene - one that codes for the protein
interferon- into a bacterium. The U.S. patent for gene cloning
is awarded to Cohen and Boyer.

1981:

Scientists at Ohio University produce the first transgenic
animals by transferring genes from other animals into mice. The
first gene-synthesizing machines are developed. Chinese
scientists successfully clone a golden carp fish.

1982:

Genentech, Inc. receives approval from the Food and Drug
Administration to market genetically engineered human insulin.
Applied Biosystems, Inc. introduces the first commercial gas
phase protein sequencer.

1983:

The polymerase chain reaction is invented by Kary B Mullis. The
first artificial chromosome is synthesized, and the first
genetic markers for specific inherited diseases are found.

1984:

Chiron Corp. announces the first cloning and sequencing of the
entire human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome. Alec Jeffreys
introduces technique for DNA fingerprinting to identify
individuals. The first genetically engineered vaccine is
developed.

1985:

Cetus Corporation's develops GeneAmp polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) technology, which could generate billions of copies of a
targeted gene sequence in only hours. Scientists find a gene
marker for cystic fibrosis on chromosome number 7.

1986:

The first genetically engineered human vaccine - Chiron's
Recombivax HB - is approved for the prevention of hepatitis B.
A regiment of scientists and technicians at Caltech and Applied
Biosystems, Inc. invented the automated DNA fluorescence
sequencer.

1987:

The first outdoor tests on a genetically engineered bacterium
are allowed. It inhibits frost formation on plants. Genentech's
tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), sold as Activase, is
approved as a treatment for heart attacks.

1988:

Harvard molecular geneticists Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart
awarded the first patent for a genetically altered animal, a
mouse that is highly susceptible to breast cancer

1989:

UC Davis scientists develop a recombinant vaccine against the
deadly rinderpest virus. The human genome project is set up, a
collaboration between scientists from countries around the
world to work out the whole of the human genetic code.

1990:

The first gene therapy takes place, on a four-year-old girl
with an immune-system disorder called ADA deficiency. The human
genome project is formally launched.

1991:

Mary-Claire King, of the University of California, Berkeley,
finds evidence that a gene on chromosome 17 causes the
inherited form of breast cancer and also increases the risk of
ovarian cancer. Tracey the first transgenic sheep is born.

1992:

The first liver xenotransplant from one type of animal to
another is carried out successfully. Chiron's Proleukin is
approved for the treatment of renal cell cancer.

1993:

The FDA declares that genetically engineered foods are "not
inherently dangerous" and do not require special regulation.
Chiron's Betaseron is approved as the first treatment for
multiple sclerosis in 20 years.

1994:

The first genetically engineered food product, the Flavr Savr
tomato, gained FDA approval. The first breast cancer gene is
discovered. Genentech's Nutropin is approved for the treatment
of growth hormone deficiency.

1995:

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center transplanted
hearts from genetically altered pigs into baboons, proving that
cross-species operations are possible. The bacterium Haemophilus
influenzae is the first living organism in the world to have its
entire genome sequenced.

1996:

Biogen's Avonex is approved for the treatment of multiple
sclerosis. The discovery of a gene associated with Parkinson's
disease provides an important new avenue of research into the
cause and potential treatment of the debilitating neurological
ailment.

1997:

Researchers at Scotland's Roslin Institute report that they
have cloned a sheep--named Dolly--from the cell of an adult
ewe. The FDA approves Rituxan, the first antibody-based therapy
for cancer.

1998:

The first complete animal genome the C.elegans worm is
sequenced. James Thomson at Wisconsin and John Gearhart in
Baltimore each develop a technique for culturing embryonic stem
cells.

1999:

A new medical diagnostic test will for the first time allow
quick identification of BSE/CJD a rare but devastating form of
neurologic disease transmitted from cattle to humans.

2000:

"Golden Rice," modified to make vitamin A. Cloned pigs are born
for the first time in work done by Alan Coleman and his team at
PPL, the Edinburgh-based company responsible for Dolly the
sheep.

2001:

The sequence of the human genome is published in Science and
Nature, making it possible for researchers all over the world
to begin developing genetically based treatments for disease.

2002:

Researchers sequence the DNA of rice, and is the first crop to
have its genome decoded.

2003:

The sequencing of the human genome is completed.


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