Timeline

Date Event
1750 B.C.
  • The Sumerians brew beer.
500 B.C.
  • The Chinese use moldy soybean curds as an antibiotic to treat boils.
250 B.C.
  • The Greeks practice crop rotation to maximize soil fertility.
100 A.D.
  • Powdered chrysanthemum is used in China as an insecticide.
1590
  • The microscope is invented by Janssen.
1663
  • Cells are first described by Hooke.
1675
  • Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria.
1797
  • Jenner inoculates a child with a viral vaccine to protect him from smallpox.
1802
  • The word "biology" first appears.
1830
  • Proteins are discovered.
1833
  • The first enzymes are isolated.
1855
  • The Escherichia coli bacterium is discovered. It later becomes a major research, development and production tool for biotechnology.
  • Pasteur begins working with yeast, eventually proving they are living organisms.
1863
  • Mendel, in his study of peas, discovers that traits were transmitted from parents to progeny by discrete, independent units, later called genes. His observations laid the groundwork for the field of genetics.
1869
  • Miescher discovers DNA in the sperm of trout.
1877
  • A technique for staining and identifying bacteria is developed by Koch.
1878
  • The first centrifuge is developed by Laval.
  • The term "microbe" is first used.
1879
  • Flemming discovers chromatin, the rod-like structures inside the cell nucleus that later came to be called chromosomes.
1883
  • The first rabies vaccine is developed.
1902
  • The term "immunology" first appears.
1906
  • The term "genetics" is introduced.
1911
  • The first cancer-causing virus is discovered by Rous.
1914
  • Bacteria are used to treat sewage for the first time, in Manchester, England.
1915
  • Phages, or bacterial viruses, are discovered.
1919
  • The word "biotechnology" is first used by a Hungarian agricultural engineer.
1920
  • The human growth hormone is discovered by Evans and Long.
1928
  • Fleming discovers penicillin, the first antibiotic.
1938
  • The term "molecular biology" is coined.
1941
  • The term "genetic engineering" is first used by a Danish microbiologist.
1942
  • The electron microscope is used to identify and characterize a bacteriophage - a virus that infects bacteria.
1943
  • Avery demonstrates that DNA is the "transforming factor" and is the material of genes.
1944
  • DNA is shown to be the material substance of the gene.
1949
  • Pauling shows that sickle cell anemia is a "molecular disease" resulting from a mutation in the protein molecule hemoglobin.
1951
  • McClintock discovers transposable elements, or "jumping genes," in corn.
1953
  • Watson and Crick reveal the three-dimensional structure of DNA.
1954
  • Cell-culturing techniques are developed.
1955
  • An enzyme involved in the synthesis of a nucleic acid is isolated for the first time.
1956
  • Kornberg discovers the enzyme DNA polymerase I, leading to an understanding of how DNA is replicated.
1957
  • Sickle cell anemia is shown to occur due to a change of a single amino acid.
1960
  • Exploiting base pairing, hybrid DNA-RNA molecules are created.
  • Messenger RNA is discovered.
1967
  • The first automatic protein sequencer is perfected.
1969
  • An enzyme is synthesized in vitro for the first time.
1970
  • Specific restriction nucleases are identified, opening the way for gene cloning.
1972
  • The DNA composition of humans is discovered to be 99 percent similar to that of chimpanzees and gorillas.
1973
  • Cohen and Boyer perform the first successful recombinant DNA experiment, using bacterial genes.
1974
  • The National Institutes of Health forms a Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee to oversee recombinant genetic research.
1975
  • Colony hybridization and Southern blotting are developed for detecting specific DNA sequences.
  • The first monoclonal antibodies are produced.
1976
  • The tools of recombinant DNA are first applied to a human inherited disorder. Molecular hybridization is used for the prenatal diagnosis of alpha thalassemia.
  • Yeast genes are expressed in E. coli bacteria.
1978
  • North Carolina scientists Hutchinson and Edgell show it is possible to introduce specific mutations at specific sites in a DNA molecule.
1980
  • The U.S. Supreme Court, in the landmark case Diamond v. Chakrabarty, approves the principle of patenting genetically engineered life forms.
  • The U.S. patent for gene cloning is awarded to Cohen and Boyer.
1981
  • The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is created by the state's General Assembly as the nation's first state-sponsored initiative to develop biotechnology. During subsequent years 35 other states follow with biotechnology centers of various kinds.
  • The first gene-synthesizing machines are developed.
1982
  • Humulin, Genentech's human insulin drug produced by genetically engineered bacteria for the treatment of diabetes, is the first biotech drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
1983
  • The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique is conceived. PCR, which uses heat and enzymes to make unlimited copies of genes and gene fragments, later becomes a major tool in biotech research and product development worldwide.
  • The first genetic transformation of plant cells by TI plasmids is performed.
  • The first artificial chromosome is synthesized.
  • The first genetic markers for specific inherited diseases are found.
1984
  • The DNA fingerprinting technique is developed.
  • The first genetically engineered vaccine is developed.
  • Chiron clones and sequences the entire genome of the HIV virus.
1986
  • The first field tests of genetically engineered plants (tobacco) are conducted.
  • Ortho Biotech's Orthoclone OKT3, used to fight kidney transplant rejection, is approved as the first monoclonal antibody treatment.
  • The first biotech-derived interferon drugs for the treatment of cancer - Biogen's Intron A and Genentech's Roferon A - are approved by the FDA. In 1988, the drugs are used to treat Kaposi's sarcoma, a complication of AIDS.
  • The first genetically engineered human vaccine - Chiron's Recombivax HB - is approved for the prevention of hepatitis B.
1987
  • Humatrope is developed for treating human growth hormone deficiency.
  • Advanced Genetic Sciences' Frostban, a genetically altered bacterium that inhibits frost formation on crop plants, is field tested on strawberry and potato plants in California, the first authorized outdoor tests of an engineered bacterium.
  • Genentech's tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), sold as Activase, is approved as a treatment for heart attacks.
1988
  • Congress funds the Human Genome Project, a massive effort to map and sequence the human genetic code as well as the genomes of other species.
1989
  • Amgen's Epogen is approved for the treatment of renal disease anemia.
  • The gene responsible for cystic fibrosis is discovered.
1990
  • The first federally approved gene therapy treatment is performed successfully on a 4-year-old girl suffering from an immune disorder.
1991
  • Amgen develops Neupogen, the first of a new class of drugs called colony stimulating factors, for the treatment of low white blood cells in chemotherapy patients.
  • Immunex's Leukine, used to replenish white blood counts after bone marrow transplants, is approved.
  • Genzyme's Ceredase is approved for the treatment of Gaucher's disease.
1992
  • Recombinate, developed by Genetics Institute and used in the treatment of hemophilia A, becomes the first genetically engineered blood clotting factor approved in the U.S.
  • Chiron's Proleukin is approved for the treatment of renal cell cancer.
1993
  • Chiron's Betaseron is approved as the first treatment for multiple sclerosis in 20 years.
  • The FDA declares that genetically engineered foods are "not inherently dangerous" and do not require special regulation.
  • The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is created by merging two smaller trade associations.
1994
  • Genentech's Nutropin is approved for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency
  • The first breast cancer gene is discovered.
  • Calgene's Flavr Savr tomato, engineered to resist rotting, is approved for sale.
1995
  • The first baboon-to-human bone marrow transplant is performed on an AIDS patient.
  • The first full gene sequence of a living organism other than a virus is completed for the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae.
1996
  • Biogen's Avonex is approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The company builds a $50 million plant in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to manufacture the recombinant interferon drug
  • Scottish scientists clone identical lambs from early embryonic sheep.
1997
  • Scottish scientists report cloning a sheep using DNA from adult sheep cells.
  • A group of Oregon researchers claims to have cloned two Rhesus monkeys.
  • A new DNA technique combines PCR, DNA chips and a computer program providing a new tool in the search for disease-causing genes.
1998
  • University of Hawaii scientists clone three generations of mice from nuclei of adult ovarian cumulus cells.
  • Embryonic stem cells can be used to regenerate tissue and create disorders mimicking diseases.
  • The first complete animal genome for the elegans worm is sequenced.
  • A rough draft of the human genome map is produced, showing the locations of more than 30,000 genes.
1999
  • The rising tide of public opinion in Europe brings biotech food into the spotlight.
2000
  • A rough draft of the human genome is completed by Celera Genomics and the Human Genome Project.
  • Pigs are the next animal cloned by researchers, hopefully to help produce organs for human transplant.
  • "Golden Rice," modified to make vitamin A, promises to help third-world coutries alleviate blindness.
  • The genetic code of the fruit fly Drosophila is published.
  • Arabidopsis thaliana is the first-ever completed sequence of a plant genome.
2001
  • The sequence of the human genome is published in Science and Nature, making it possible for researchers all over the world to begin developing genetically based treatments for disease.
  • President Bush decides to permit federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines, allowing researchers to continue seeking cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
  • The biotech industry responds to the need for biodefense research and development following the release of anthrax in the mail system and in government buildings.
2002
  • Researchers sequence the DNA of rice, the main food source for two-thirds of the world's population. It is the first crop to have its genome decoded.
  • The first draft of a functional map of the yeast proteome, an entire network of protein complexes and their interactions, is completed. A map of the yeast genome was published in 1996.
  • International consortia sequence the genomes of the parasite that causes malaria and the species of mosquito that transmits the parasite.
  • The draft version of the complete map of the human genome is published, and the first part of the Human Genome Project comes to an end ahead of schedule and under budget.
  • Scientists make great progress in elucidating the factors that control the differentiation of stem cells, identifying over 200 genes that are involved in the process.
  • Biotech crops grown on 145 million acres in 16 countries, a 12 percent increase in acreage grown in 2001. More than one-quarter (27 percent) of the global acreage was grown in nine developing countries.
  • Researchers announce successful results for a vaccine against cervical cancer, the first demonstration of a preventative vaccine for a type of cancer.
  • Scientists complete the draft sequence of the most important pathogen of rice, a fungus that destroys enough rice to feed 60 million people annually. By combining an understanding of the genomes of the fungus and rice, scientists will elucidate the molecular basis of the interactions between the plant and pathogen.
  • Scientists are forced to rethink their view of RNA when they discover how important small pieces of RNA are in controlling many cell functions.
2003
  • Researchers find a vulnerability gene for depression and make strides in detecting genetic links to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
  • GloFish, the first biotech pet, hits the North American market. Specially bred to detect water pollutants, the fish glows red under black light thanks to the addition of a natural fluorescence gene.
  • Worldwide biotech crop acreage rises 15 percent to hit 167.2 million acres in 18 countries. Brazil and the Philippines grow biotech crops for the first time in 2003. Also, Indonesia allows consumption of imported biotech foods and China and Uganda accept biotech crop imports.
  • The U.K. approves its first commercial biotech crop in eight years. The crop is a biotech herbicide-resistant corn used for cattle feed.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the first transgenic rootworm-resistant corn, which may save farmers $1 billion annually in crop losses and pesticide use.
  • An endangered species (the banteng) is cloned for the first time. 2003 also brought several other cloning firsts, including mules, horses and deer.
  • Dolly, the cloned sheep that made headlines in 1997, is euthanized after developing progressive lung disease. Dolly was the first successful clone of a mammal.
  • Japanese researchers develop a biotech coffee bean that is naturally decaffeinated.
2004
  • The FDA approves the first anti-angiogenic drug for cancer, Avastin (bevacizumab).
  • The FDA clears the first DNA microarray test system, the AmpliChip Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test, to aid in selecting medications and disease for a wide variety of common conditions.
  • An RNA-interference product for age-related “wet” macular degeneration becomes the first RNAi product to enter a clinical trial.
  • The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) endorses biotech crops and states that biotechnology is a complementary tool to traditional farming methods that can help poor farmers and consumers in developing nations.
  • The National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) finds biotech crops do not pose any more health risks than do crops created by other techniques, and that food safety evaluations should be based on the resulting food product, not the technique used to create it.
  • FDA finds biotech wheat safe, after a food safety review.
  • Monsanto introduces low-linolenic soybeans (produced through conventional breeding methods) that will reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids in processed soybean oil.
  • Chicken genome sequenced by the Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium.
  • First cloned pet, a kitten, delivered to its owner.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization and AccessExcellence contributed content to this timeline.