Recombinant DNA genetic engineering
Ingeniería genética con ADN recombinante
- Date
- 1973 · confidence high
- Place
- Stanford University and UCSF, San Francisco, California, United States
- Credited to
- Stanley Cohen (Stanford) and Herbert Boyer (UCSF); Paul Berg (first recombinant molecule, 1972)
- People
- 👤 Herbert Boyer1936–👤 Paul Berg1926–2023👤 Stanley Cohen1922–2020
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Technique for cutting genes with restriction enzymes and inserting them into bacterial plasmids that replicate them. It allowed genes to be transferred between species for the first time and founded biotechnology.
Merged with «Recombinant DNA and genetic engineering» (duplicate, 23-09-2026).
What it led to
- The biotechnology industry (Genentech, 1976) and biological drugs
- Genetically modified organisms in agriculture
- The Asilomar Conference (1975) and scientific self-regulation
- the biotechnology industry (Genentech, 1976)
- recombinant human insulin (1982)
- the Asilomar Conference (1975) and the bioethics of genetic engineering
- genetically modified organisms
Built on
- DNA double-helix structure1953
- Discovery of RNA polymerase1960
- Restriction enzymes1968-1970
- structure of DNA
- plasmids
- DNA ligase
Made possible
- Monoclonal antibodies (hybridoma technique)1975
- Recombinant human insulin1978-1982
- Transgenic mouse by DNA microinjection (Gordon and Ruddle; supermouse)1980-1982
- Cloning and expression of human interferon in bacteria1980
- Oil-degrading engineered bacterium and the patenting of living organisms (Chakrabarty)1971-1980
- First transgenic plant (tobacco with an Agrobacterium vector)1983
- Phage display1985
- Recombinant chymosin (first genetically engineered food additive)1990
- Gene therapy (ADA-SCID, Luxturna, Zolgensma)1990-2017
- Green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a genetic marker1992-1994
- Glyphosate and GM crops (Flavr Savr, Roundup Ready, Bt)1974-1996
- HPV vaccine2006
- CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing2012
- mRNA vaccine (COVID-19)2020
- recombinant insulin
- recombinant vaccines
- biological drugs