Biomed Timeline

  • Dr. George Gey establishes a continuous cell line taken from a human cervical carcinoma isolated from Henrietta Lacks, who died of the cancer in 1951.

  • Dr. James Watson and Dr. Francis Crick reveal the 3-D structure of DNA.

  • Dr. Joseph Murray performs the first kidney transplant between identical twins

  • An enzyme, DNA polymerase, involved in the synthesis of a nucleic acid, is isolated for the first time.

  • Scientists prove that sickle-cell anemia occurs due to a change in a single amino acid in hemoglobin cells.

  • Dr. Arthur Kornberg of Washington University in St. Louis makes DNA in a test tube for the first time. T

  • french scientists discover messenger RNA (mRNA).

  • Scientists understand genetic code for the first time

  • Dr. Osamu Shimomura discovers the green fluorescent protein in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria.

  • Independent groups in the United States, Germany and China synthesize insulin, a pancreatic hormone.