University of Washington announced the recruitment of Leroy Hood to establish the Dept of Molecular Biotechnology
On Oct. 7, 1991, the University of Washington (UW) announced a $12 million gift from Microsoft co-founder Bill…
Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel was published, introducing DNA technology to a wide audience
On Nov. 20, 1990, Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel was pulbished, introducing DNA technology to a wide audience….
First use of DNA evidence to convict a killer in the U.S.
In Feb. 21, 1989, George Wesley was sentenced to 38 1/2 years to life in prison for the…
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers produced first direct images of DNA
On Jan. 19, 1989, a team of researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the U.S. produced the…
West Virginia high court ruled in favor of admitting DNA evidence
In 1989, the West Virginia high court ruled in favor of admitting DNA evidence. In 1984, geneticis Sir…
Allan Wilson and Svante Pabo analyzed DNA of the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger
In 1989, Allan Wilson and Svante Paabo analyzed DNA of the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger to demonstrate they could…
DNA used to resolve murders in the UK – World first
On Jan. 23, 1988, Colin Pitchfork was convicted of murdering two girls in 1983 and 1986 in Narborough,…
First detailed description of the rate of mutation in humans at the DNA level reported at University of Leicester
In 1988, the first detailed description of the rate of mutation in humans at the DNA level was…
James C. Wang discovered DNA topoisomerases
In 1988, James C. Wang discovered DNA topoisomerases, which led to greater understanding of enzymesï¾’ role in biological…
Integrated DNA Technologies was founded in Coralville, Iowa
In 1987, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a University of Iowa spin-off company founded by Dr. Joseph Walder, established…
Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (Recombivax HB by Merck) was licensed
On Jul. 23, 1986, the Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (Recombivax HB by Merck) was licensed. Using recombinant DNA…
The first recombinant vaccine for humans, a vaccine for hepatitis B, was approved
In May 1986, the vaccine Recombivax HB, which protects against hepatitis B infection, was approved for marketing in…
First clinical tests conducted at UW of EPO to correct anemia of kidney failure
On Dec. 2, 1985, the first clinical tests were held at the University of Washington of erythropoietin (EPO),…
Swedish biologist Svante Paabo analzyed ancient DNA in Egyptian mummies
On Apr. 16, 1985, Swedish biologist Svante Paabo of University of Uppsala in Sweden, a pioneer of ancient…
DNA fingerprinting discovered at University of Leicester first used to resolve disputed immigration
In 1985, DNA fingerprinting was first used to resolve a disputed immigration case that confirmed the identity of…
The human p53 gene was cloned
On Dec. 20, 1984, a team of scientists announced that a cDNA clone for human p53 cellular tumor…
Alec Jefferies and technician Vicky Wilson discovered minisatellites leading to the development of genetic fingerprinting
On Sept. 10, 1984, geneticist Alec Jeffreys, and technician Vicky Wilson at the University of Leicester in England…
Federal District Court Judge John Sirica temporarily halted federally funded experiments involving release of recombinant DNA organisms
On May 17, 1984, Federal District Court Judge John J. Sirica temporarily halts all federally funded experiments involving…
The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique, which is a DNA analysis technique, is used in cancer research
In 1983, the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs) was uncovered by the use of restriction endonucleases which cleave…
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National Institute of Health unanimously approved Lindow test
In 1983, the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee unanimously approved Lindow test. Stephen Lindow,…
The polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR) was introduced
In 1983, Kary Mullis, PhD, a scientist at the Cetus Corp., conceived of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as…
The first biotech drug, human insulin produced in genetically modified bacteria, was approved by FDA
On Oct. 28, 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Humulin, Eli Lily’s recombinant insulin made…
The first major DNA sequence databases were established in the U.S. (GenBank) and Germany
In 1982, the first major DNA sequence databases were established in the U.S. (GenBank) and Germany. GenBank ®…
The first recombinant DNA vaccine for livestock was developed
In 1982, the first recombinant DNA vaccine for livestock was developed. An advantage of the vaccines made through…
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washington injected purified DNA into a single-cell mouse embryo
In 1981, Frank Ruddle from Yale University, Frank Costantini and Elizabeth Lacy from Oxford, and Ralph L. Brinster…
AMGen (Applied Molecular Genetics) was founded
On Apr. 8, 1980, AMGen (Applied Molecular Genetics) was established in Thousand Oaks, California with George B. Rathmann…
The Nobel Laureate in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Frederick Sanger, Walter Gilbert and to Paul Berg for gene cloning
In 1980, the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert for “for…
Early concern over the dangers of recombinant DNA has waned and NIH guidelines were relaxed
In 1979, early concern over the dangers of recombinant DNA has waned and the National Institutes of Health…
Joan Steitz discovered snRNPs
In 1979, Joan Steitz discovered snRNPs, RNA-protein complexes in the cell’s nucleus that perform a crucial step in…
Prenatal DNA sequencing was developed at Boston Children’s
In 1978, Boston Children’s researcher Stuart Orkin and his team developed a new DNA sequencing technique for prenatal…