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Biotech Revolution - 1970s
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The 1970s...
Modern biotechnology began when bacteria was genetically engineered to produce human insulin. Scientists immediately recognized the industrial possibilities of this discovery, but also the potential dangers.
1973 - The discovery that created modern biotechnology
In 1973 Herb Boyer and Stanley Cohen showed it was possible to take a human gene and put it in a bacterium that could then mass-produce quantities of that gene. This immediately opened up enormous industrial possibilities by presenting an easy way to mass-produce hormones.
1975 - Alsilomar conference addresses the hazards of biotechnology
The Alsilomar conference of 1975 was where the first safety regulations for biotechnology were hammered out. Professor Paul Berg at Stanford University wanted to insert random genes from a monkey virus, known to cause cancer, into a common bacterium that lived in the human gut. Back in the '70s, it was a radical experiment. Paul Berg halted his work and organised a worldwide moratorium that eventually resulted in a conference. It was held in Asilomar, California and it became the Woodstock event of the biotech community.
1976 - World's first genetic engineering company is formed
In 1976, Herb Boyer, teamed up with a venture capitalist to form Gentech, with the goal of genetically modifying bacteria to produce human insulin. Gentech was the world's first genetic engineering company and Boyer became the first molecular multi-millionaire.
1978 - Scientists win Nobel Prize for discovering biological 'snips' for DNA
The 1978 Nobel Prize for medicine went to Dr Hamilton Smith and Dr Daniel Nathans of Johns Hopkins University in America, and Professor Werner Arber of Switzerland. The prize was awarded for discovering enzymes that are like biological scissors. The enzymes cut DNA into pieces, an essential tool in genetic research and fundamental for Boyer and Cohen's 1973 breakthrough.
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