History of Biotechnology
Unit 9: Microbiology
What is Biotechnology?
• Biotechnology: the branch of molecular
biology that studies the use of
microorganisms to perform specific
industrial processes; "biotechnology
produced genetically altered bacteria that
solved the problem"
Biotechnology in B.C.
• 500 BC: The Chinese use moldy curds as
an antibiotic to treat boils
• 250 BC: The Greeks practice crop rotation
to increase soil fertility
• 100 BC: Chinese use powdered
chrysanthemum as an insecticide
Pre-20 Century Biotechnology
th
• 1590: Janssen invents the microscope
• 1663: Hooke discovers cells
• 1675: Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria and
protozoa
• 1797: Jenner inoculates a child with a viral
vaccine to protect him from smallpox
• 1802: 1st time the term “biology” is used
Pre-20 Century Biotechnology
th
• 1830: Proteins, the building blocks of cells, are
discovered
• 1833: The nucleus of the cell is discovered
• 1855: The E. coli bacterium is discovered
• 1855: Pasteur works with yeast, eventually
proving they are living organisms
• 1863: Mendel discovers genes while working with
peas. He lays the groundwork for genetics.
Pre-20 Century Biotechnology
th
• 1879: Flemming discovers chromatins
• 1883: The rabies vaccine is developed
• 1888: Waldyer discovers the chromosome
Biotechnology In The First Part Of
The 20th Century
• 1902: The term "immunology" first used
• 1906: The term "genetics" is used
• 1915: Bacterial viruses, called phages, are
discovered
• 1919: The word "biotechnology" is first used
• 1927: Muller discovers that X-rays cause
mutation
• 1928: Fleming discovers penicillin
• 1938: The term "molecular biology" is used
• 1941: The term "genetic engineering" is first used
Biotechnology In The First Part Of
The 20th Century
• 1942: The electron microscope is used and
characterizes viruses that infect bacteria, called
bacteriaphages
• 1944: DNA is shown to be the building block of
the gene
• 1949: Pauling proves that sickle cell anemia is a
"molecular disease" caused by a mutation
Biotechnology in the
1950s and 1960s
• 1953: Watson and Crick understand the structure
of DNA
• 1954: Cell-culturing techniques are first used
• 1955: An enzyme involved in the production of a
nucleic acid is isolated
• 1956: The fermentation process is perfected
• 1960: Messenger RNA is discovered
• 1961: The genetic code is understood
Biotechnology in the 1970s
• 1972: The DNA composition of humans is shown
to be 99% similar to that of chimps and gorillas
• 1977: Genetically-engineered bacteria are used to
make human growth protein
• 1978: North Carolina scientists, Hutchinson and
Edgell, prove it is possible to introduce specific
mutations at specific sites in a DNA molecule
• 1979: The first monoclonal antibodies are
synthesized
Biotechnology in the 1980s
• 1980: The U.S. Supreme Court approves the patenting of
genetically-engineered life forms
• 1980: The U.S. patent for gene cloning is awarded to
Boyer and Cohen.
• 1981: The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is created
—the 1st state-sponsored research center for biotechnology
• 1981: The first genetically-engineered plant is reported
• 1981: 1st mice to be successfully cloned
• 1982: Humulin, human insulin drug, produced by
genetically-engineered bacteria (first biotech drug
approved by the FDA)
Biotechnology in the 1980s
• 1983: The first artificial chromosome is made
• 1983: The first genetic markers for specific inherited
diseases are found
• 1984: The DNA fingerprinting technique is developed.
• 1984: The first genetically-engineered vaccine is
developed.
1986: The first biotech-derived interferon drugs for the
treatment of cancer are synthesized
• 1988: Congress funds the Human Genome Project
• 1989: Microorganisms are used to clean up the Exxon
Valdez oil spill
Biotechnology in the 1990s
• 1990: The first federally-approved gene therapy
treatment is performed successfully
• 1992: The structure of HIV RT is elucidated
• 1993:The FDA declares that genetically
engineered foods are "not inherently dangerous"
• 1994: The first breast cancer gene is discovered
• 1996: Scientists clone identical lambs from early
embryonic sheep
Biotechnology in the 1990s
• 1998: Scientists clone three generations of mice
from nuclei of adult ovarian cells
• 1998: Embryonic stem cells are used to regenerate
tissue and create disorders that mimic diseases
• 1998: The Biotechnology Institute is founded by
BIO as an independent, national, 501(c)(3)
education organization
• 1999: The genetic code of the human chromosome
is deciphered
Biotechnology 2000 and Beyond
• 2000: A rough draft of the human genome is
completed
• 2000: Pigs are the next animal cloned by researchers
to help produce organs for human transplant
• 2001: The sequence of the human genome is
published in Science and Nature
• 2002: Scientists complete the sequence of the
pathogen of rice, a fungus that ruins enough rice to
feed 60 million people annually
• 2003: Dolly, the cloned sheep from 1997, is
euthanized
Resources
• http://www.biotechinstitute.org
