Herbert Boyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herbert Boyer
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Dr. Boyer in 1977
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| Born | July 10, 1936 Derry, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | Saint Vincent College (B.S., 1958) University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. 1963) |
| Awards | National Medal of Science (1990) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biology |
Herbert Wayne "Herb" Boyer (born July 10, 1936) is an American scientist. He is known for his important work in biotechnology. Along with Stanley N. Cohen, he helped discover recombinant DNA. This is a way to combine DNA from different sources. This discovery helped start the field of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is about changing the genes of living things.
Dr. Boyer received the National Medal of Science in 1990. He also helped start a company called Genentech. He was a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Later, he worked as a vice president at Genentech until he retired in 1991.
Early Life and Education
Herbert Boyer was born in 1936 in Derry, Pennsylvania. He studied biology and chemistry at Saint Vincent College. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1958. The next year, he married his wife, Grace.
He continued his studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He earned his PhD in 1963. During this time, he also took part in the civil rights movement.
Career and Discoveries
After finishing his PhD, Boyer worked at Yale University for three years. Then, he became a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). At UCSF, he made a big discovery. He found that genes from bacteria could be mixed with genes from other living things. This was a major step for recombinant DNA technology.
In 1977, Dr. Boyer and his team made history. They created the first man-made gene that could make a protein. In 1978, they used their new methods to create synthetic insulin. Insulin is a medicine used by people with diabetes. In 1979, they also created a synthetic growth hormone. These were huge breakthroughs in medicine.
In 1976, Boyer co-founded Genentech with venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson. Genentech became a very successful company. It used genetic engineering to create new medicines.
In 1990, Herbert and Grace Boyer made a large donation to the Yale School of Medicine. A research center there, the Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, was named after their family in 1991. In 2007, Saint Vincent College also honored him. They renamed their School of Natural Science, Mathematics, and Computing the Herbert W. Boyer School.
Awards and Honors
Herbert Boyer has received many awards for his important work.
- 1980 the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 1981 the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 1982 the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) Achievement Award
- 1989 the National Medal of Technology
- 1990 the National Medal of Science from President George H. W. Bush
- 1993 Helmut Horten Research Award
- 2000 Biotechnology Heritage Award with Robert A. Swanson
- 2004 Albany Medical Center Prize (shared with Stanley N. Cohen)
- 2004 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine
- 2005 Winthrop-Sears Medal
- 2007 Perkin Medal
- 2009 CSHL Double Helix Medal Honoree
See also
In Spanish: Herbert Boyer para niños
