The Biodesign Institute: Biotech 101 - History

The Biodesign Institute: Biotech 101 - History: "The DNA Gold Rush With the structure of DNA solved, the key mechanisms behind this chemical blueprint for life begin to be unraveled. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a further understanding of cellular processes and delved into the biochemistry of metabolic disorders and disease.In 1961, the genetic code, or how the information in DNA is used to make proteins, became understood for the first time. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, researchers discovered molecular scissors, or DNA restriction enzymes, that can cut segments of DNA, ushering in an era of genetic engineering and cloning. In 1973 Paul Berg, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen performed the first successful recombinant DNA experiment, stitching together different bacterial genes from the common human gut bacterium, E. coli. With the success of this experiment, other researchers continued to make progress in genetic engineering and the 970’s also witnessed the birth of the biotechnology industry. In addition, new lab methods such as DNA sequencing and protein analysis, and later the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which makes unlimited copies of genes, led to a future revolution in forensics and biomedicine. In the 1980s, the maturation and growth of the biotech industry continued unabated, as the first genetically engineered products are approved by the FDA. Genentech’s Humulin, "