The History and Ethics
Behind Biotechnology
BY: ROMY PABLA
SBI4U
8 000 BCE:
 humans domesticated plant crops, and livestock
and potatoes were first cultivated for food.
500 BCE:
 the Chinese used mouldy soybean curds to become
the first antibiotic to treat infections and ailments.
In the year 100:
 The first insecticide was produced in China from
powdered chrysanthemums
In 1665:
 Robert Hooke described microscopic observations of
plant tissues, and was the first to coin the term “cell”.
 In Quebec, Jean Talon established Canada's first
brewery using biotechnological practices (yeast and
fermentation).
 Dutchman, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, gave the first
complete descriptions of (protozoa) that he called
animalcules. He also observed red blood cells.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek, maker of
microscopes, discovered bacteria in 1675.
1833:
 enzymes were discovered and a few years later in
1838, a Swedish chemist discovered the first protein.
1835:
 Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden proposed
the cell theory.
 Prussian physician Rudolf Virchow declared “every
cell originates from another cell”.
Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden
proposed that all organisms are composed
of cells.
1859:
 Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of
Species
1869:
 Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist investigated the
composition of DNA using pus cells.
 He discovered that the nuclei of cells contained large
quantities of a substance that did not act like protein,
although proteins were thought to be the hereditary
material at the time
 Meischer called this substance nuclein because it was
found in the nucleus of the cell, later renamed DNA
when its chemical composition was determined.
Charles Darwin published his book On the
Origin of Species in 1859.
 Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, developed
pasteurization, a process that protects food by
heating it to kill dangerous microbes.
 He also became known for his vaccination
technique against anthrax, which was successfully
administered against rabies in 1885.
French chemist Louis Pasteur
developed pasteurization.
In the 1900s:
 Luther Burbank, the father of
modern plant breeding, developed
more than 800 new strains of fruits,
vegetables, and flowers.
 Plant breeders crossbred cotton to
create multiple varieties.
 Farmers first inoculated fields with
nitrogen fixing bacteria to improve
yields. Nitrogen is vital to all living
matter, and is an essential
constituent of amino acids.
From 1870 to 1910:
 Botanist William James Beal
produced the first experimental
corn hybrid in the laboratory.
In 1919
 The word “biotechnology” was used
for the first time in print.
Luther Burbank, the father of
modern plant breeding,
developed the Burbank potato,
which is now the Russett potato
used by McDonald's
restaurants.
In 1922:
 Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and C. H. Best
succeeded in isolating insulin from the pancreas in
1922, winning the Nobel Prize in 1923 in
Physiology or Medicine.
In the 1920s:
 Frederick Griffith tried to develop a vaccine
against pneumonia, which led to his discovery of
the process of transformation.
Frederick Banting, co-discover of insulin
for the treatment of diabetes.
In 1928:
 Scottish bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming
discovered penicillin as an antibiotic and was later
awarded the Nobel Prize.
In 1941:
 A. Justin, a Danish microbiologist, coined the term
“genetic engineering”
Sir Alexander Fleming
discovered penicillin as an
antibiotic in 1928.
In 1943
 Canadian scientist Oswald
Theodore Avery isolated pure
DNA.
In 1944
 Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod,
and Maclyn McCarthy lay the
groundwork for modern genetics
and molecular biology.
 They prove that DNA contained
within the nucleus of a cell is
genetic material
Oswald Avery was the first
to isolate pure DNA.
In 1952:
 Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase used
radioactively labelled viruses and infected
bacterial cells, and observed that the
infected bacterial cells contained
radioactivity originating from the DNA of
the virus suggesting that DNA is hereditary
material.
In 1953:
 Rosalind Franklin produced an X-ray
diffraction pattern of DNA that suggested
it was in the shape of a double helix.
 James Watson and Francis Crick were the
first to describe the double helix of DNA.
 Rosalind Franklin did not get the
recognition she deserved during that time,
while James Watson, Francis Crick, and
Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel
Prize in 1962 for “their” discovery.
James Watson along with
Francis Crick and
Maurice Wilkins became
the first scientists
recognized to describe the
double helix structure of
DNA.
1955:
 The Salk polio vaccine was
licensed in North America and
mass immunization for polio
occurred in schools in the 1960s.
1958:
 DNA was produced in a test tube
for the first time.
1968:
 Marshall W. Nirenberg and Har
Gobind Khorana were awarded
the Nobel Prize for deciphering
the genetic codes of the 20 amino
acids.
In 1968, the genetic code is
deciphered.
In the 1970s:
 Norman Borlaug became
the first plant breeder to
win a Nobel Prize for his
work on new wheat
varieties that increase yield
by 70%.
 American microbiologist
Daniel Nathans discovered
the first restriction enzyme.
New wheat varieties increase
yields by 70%
Restriction enzymes cleave DNA
In 1972:
 DNA ligase, which links DNA fragments together, is used for the
first time.
 The first synthetic recombinant molecule created by combining
DNA from two viruses is accomplished.
 Paul Berg, along with Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert
developed techniques for attaching selected parts of DNA
molecules to bacterial DNA
In 1973:
 Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer developed recombinant DNA
technology, considered to be the birth of modern technology.
 They completed the first successful genetic engineering
experiment by inserting a gene from an African clawed toad into
bacterial DNA.
Recombinant DNA – the insertion of a
gene into a plasmid and then into a
bacterial cell.
In 1983:
 The first genetically
engineered product, human
insulin, was approved for sale
in Canada
 Kary Mullis devised the
polymerase chain reaction
(PCR)
Late 1980s:
 Genetically engineered
hepatitis B vaccine was
approved for use in Canada
 The defective gene for cystic
fibrosis was found at
Toronto's Hospital for Sick
Children.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder
which affects many areas of the body.
In 1997
 Dolly became the first cloned
mammal.
In 2002
 Successful immunization of
mice against Alzheimer's was
discovered
 Canada produced Starbuck II,
the first cloned bull derived
from the world famous
Hanoverhill Starbuck.
2001:
 The faculty of Veterinary
Medicine at the University of
Montreal used cloning
technology to produce three
identical calves.
Dolly's remains are exhibited at the
Museum of Scotland.
In 2003:
 The Human Genome Project was completed ahead of
schedule.
In 2004:
 The Supreme Court of Canada votes 5-4 in the case of
Schmeiser versus Monsanto, maintaining Monsanto's
patent on a gene providing greater certainty on
intellectual property protection in Canada.
In 2005
 The first commercial DNA vaccine for a viral disease in
salmon is licensed.
Karyotype of human chromosomes
In 2006:
 Researchers from the University
of Toronto restored some
movement in rats paralysed from
spinal cord injuries using
transplanted brain cells taken
from adult mice.
 Commercial human insulin was
produced from genetically
modified sunflower plants.
 The first vaccine against certain
types of the human
papillomavirus was approved.
In 2007:
 McMaster researchers discovered
embryonic stem cells and kept
them in their own environment
to allow them to specialize or
become other cells.
HPV Virus
Stem Cells
Who knows what discoveries will be made in the
next 20 to 30 years to enhance or hinder
development in the health, agricultural, and
environmental sector of biotechnology. Maybe
you will be the one to make the new discoveries.
DNA ligase acts like a glue
and joins fragments of
DNA together by joining
the bonds.
Resources
 Biotech Canada
http://www.biotech.ca/en/default.aspx
 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
http://www.agr.gc.ca/index_e.php
 Council for Biotechnology Information
http://whybiotech.ca/
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