Biotechnology Through the Ages
S. XXI
- First complete genomic map of a plant (Arabidopsis thaliana).
- Biotechnology crops account for a total surface area of 44 million hectares among thirteen countries.
- Rough draft of the human genome sequence is announced.
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- First complete genomic map of an edible plant (rice).
- Sequencing of two agriculturally important bacteria is completed: Sinorhizobium meliloti, the nitrogen-fixing species, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the agent responsible for plant tumors.
- Creation of the first crop that can grow in salinized soil: a tomato that has been transformed with a gene from the plant Arabidopsis.
- First rough functional map of the yeast proteome (the complete network of an organism’s proteins and their interactions) is published six years after publication of the yeast genome.
- An international consortium sequences the genome of the parasite that causes malaria (Plasmodium) and of the mosquito that transmits this parasite (Anopheles).
- The first complete map of the human genome is published, representing completion of the first phase of the Human Genome Project ahead of schedule.
- Identification of more than 200 genes related to differentiation of stem cells.
- Biotechnology plants account for a total surface area of 59 million hectares in the northern hemisphere alone.
- First successful results with a cervical cancer vaccine, representing the first proof that anti-cancer vaccines are possible.
- Genomic sequence completed of the main pathogen of rice, a fungus that destroys a quantity of rice that could feed 60 million people annually. Knowledge of both genomes—that of rice and that of the fungus—sets the path for understanding how the two organisms interact.
- Elucidation of RNA functions in controlling cellular processes.
- Scientists at SUNY Stony Brook (United States) synthesize poliovirus based on information from its genomic sequence.
- A gene for susceptibility to depression is identified, and genetic factors related to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are discovered.
- The first genetically engineered pet is sold in the United States: a fish that contains a gene for producing natural fluorescence.
- The United Kingdom approves the first biotechnology crop in eight years: an herbicidal-resistant strain of corn for animal feed.
- First cloning of an endangered species (the Southeast Asian banteng ox).
- Dolly, the first mammal ever cloned, is sacrificed after having developed a pulmonary illness.
- Japanese researchers use biotechnology to develop decaffeinated coffee.
- The Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approves the first product based on gene therapy: a drug that activates the p53 gene against squamous cell carcinoma carcinomas.
- The United States government authorizes the AmpliChip® Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test, a DNA microarray-based test system for improving selection of drugs for different diseases.
- First clinical trials of a drug based on RNA interference (indication: macular degeneration).
- The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) officially states that biotechnology crops can complement traditional agricultural products for helping poor farmers and consumers in developing nations.
- The United States National Academy of Sciences concludes that biotechnology crops do not pose any additional health risk compared to those grown by traditional methods.
- After exhaustive safety testing, biotechnology wheat is determined to be completely safe.
- The Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium completes sequencing of the chicken genome.
- First cloning of a pet (a kitten).
- The laboratory rat genome is secuenced.
- Completion of genomic sequencing of the chimpanzee, the closest species to the human.
- Commercial production of bioethanol begins, using biotechnology enzymes and wheat straw.
- The US State of California approves Proposition 71, supporting public funding of stem cell research.
- The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the first drug indicated for a specific ethnic group: BiDil®, by NitroMed, designed to treat heart failure among African Americans.
- The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Pilot Project begins. It aims to complete a map of genomic alterations implicated in human cancers.
- Using genetic data, scientists synthesize the strain of flu virus that killed 20 million people around the world in 1919.
- Harvard University researchers convert skin cells into stem cells by fusing them with pre-existing stem cells.
- The companies Monsanto and Genaissance Pharmaceuticals announce a joint project to sequence the genome of the soy plant.
- The UK government approves the use of nuclear transfer in horse cloning.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) releases the report “Food Biotechnology, Human Health and Development”, which confirms that biotechnology food products can contribute to ameliorating human heath and development, increasing crop yields, and improving the quality and diversity of food products.
- A team of researchers publishes the dog genome.
- Biotechnology crops occupy 90 million hectares of surface area.
- A team of researchers obtains financing for completing the pig genome sequence.
- A ten-year, 10,000 patient study is begun on the use of a genetic test for predicting breast cancer occurrence and relapse, and on the efficacy of various breast cancer treatments.
- The first plant-based vaccine is approved in the United States for use in protecting poultry against Newcastle disease.
- Genetically modified (GM) pigs are produced that produce elevated levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which protect against heart disease.
- A new technology is devised which entails use of bacterial DNA as a medium for long-term—potentially, up to thousands of years—information storage.
- Completion of the genomic sequence of James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA.
- First complete genomic sequencing of a human being with cancer (leukemia) as part of the Cancer Genome Project. The results enable identification of mutations that may be implicated in the appearance and development of tumors.
- Some of the most promising studies on finding an AIDS vaccine are stopped. Clinical trials of one vaccine, derived from adenovirus and fragments of HIV, not only fail to demonstrate any protective effect, but actually show that the vaccine implies a certain level of risk.
- First genomic sequencing of an extinct species. The Mammoth Genome Project opens the window to the possibility of reviving a species that became extinct during the last Ice Age.
- The journal Science names cellular reprogramming as its Breakthrough of the Year. This milestone enables a cell extracted from an adult organism to be transformed back into its embryonic state, with a stem cell’s ability to differentiate into a cell of any of various tissue types, thereby paving the way to so-called cell engineering.
- Harnessing new sequencing techniques and exploiting computing power, various biotechnology companies are able to offer complete genomic sequencing of an individual for less than €3,500, a figure which would have been incomprehensible at the onset of the Human Genome Project.
- Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), in the USA, develop first cell controlled by a synthetic genome.
More information:
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/overview/