Stanley Norman Cohen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanley Norman Cohen
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Stanley Norman Cohen, 2016
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| Born | February 17, 1935 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania |
| Spouse(s) | Joanna Lucy Wolter |
| Awards | National Medal of Science, Wolf Prize in Medicine |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Genetics |
| Institutions | Stanford University |
| Doctoral students | Kelly Ten Hagen |
Stanley Norman Cohen (born February 17, 1935) is an American geneticist. He is a special professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer made a huge discovery. They were the first scientists to move genes from one living thing to another. This was a key step for genetic engineering.
Their work led to thousands of new products. These include important medicines like human growth hormone and the hepatitis B vaccine. A famous scientist, Hugh McDevitt, said that Cohen's work changed biology. He said that without it, modern medicine and biotechnology would look very different.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Stanley Cohen was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He went to Rutgers University and earned his first degree in 1956. Then, he studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He became a medical doctor in 1960.
After medical school, Cohen worked at several hospitals. He did internships and fellowships. These included places like Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He also worked at Duke University Hospital.
While working at the National Institute for Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, he made a choice. He decided to combine medical research with helping patients. In 1967, he did more research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Scientific Career and Discoveries
Cohen joined Stanford University in 1968. He became a professor of medicine in 1975. Later, in 1977, he became a professor of genetics. By 1993, he held a special professorship in genetics.
At Stanford, he started studying bacterial plasmids. Plasmids are small loops of DNA found in bacteria. He wanted to know how these plasmids could make bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Working with Herbert Boyer
In 1972, Cohen met Herbert W. Boyer at a science meeting. They realized their research interests were very similar. They started working together. Scientists at Stanford and the University of California, San Francisco shared plasmids.
Cohen's team at Stanford would get the plasmids ready. Boyer's team in San Francisco would then cut them. They used a special "molecular scissor" called a restriction enzyme called EcoRI. The cut pieces were sent back to Stanford.
Cohen's team then joined these pieces together. They put the new combined plasmids into a type of bacteria called Escherichia coli. Both teams then checked the new plasmids. This was a major breakthrough.
Birth of Genetic Engineering
Their teamwork led to a very important paper in 1973. It showed how to combine and move genes. They successfully joined different plasmids from E. coli. Then they put them back into E. coli cells.
These new cells then copied themselves. They also carried the new genetic information. Later, they moved genes from Staphylococcus bacteria into E. coli. This proved that genes could be moved between different types of living things.
These discoveries marked the beginning of genetic engineering. This new field allows scientists to change the DNA of living things. Cohen received many awards for this work. One was the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1980.
Leading Genetics Research
In 1976, Cohen helped create a standard way to name bacterial plasmids. From 1978 to 1986, he was the head of the Genetics Department at Stanford.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Cohen strongly supported DNA technology. He believed it had great potential. He also helped discuss how to safely do DNA research. He was part of important meetings, like the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA.
Today, Stanley Cohen continues his research at Stanford. He studies how cells grow and develop. He also looks at how plasmids pass on genetic traits. He still researches how plasmids help bacteria resist antibiotics. He studies "jumping genes" called transposons. These genes can move between different bacteria.
Plasmid pSC101 Experiment
In 1973, Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer did a groundbreaking experiment. It was one of the first genetic engineering experiments ever. They showed that a gene from a frog could be put into bacteria. And the bacteria would then use that frog gene.
First, they found a way to get bacteria to take in new DNA. Then, they built a special plasmid called pSC101. This plasmid was like a tiny delivery truck for genes. It had a spot where the restriction enzyme EcoRI could cut it. It also had a gene that made bacteria resistant to tetracycline, an antibiotic.
They used EcoRI to cut the frog DNA into small pieces. They also cut the pSC101 plasmid with the same enzyme. The cut ends of the frog DNA and the plasmid DNA were "sticky." They could easily join together. A special enzyme called DNA ligase helped glue them.
Next, they put these new plasmids into E. coli bacteria. They grew these bacteria on a dish with tetracycline. Only bacteria that had taken in the plasmid with the tetracycline resistance gene could grow. Some of these growing bacteria also had the frog gene. The scientists then checked these bacteria to see if they were using the frog gene.
Impact of Patents
Cohen and Boyer did not first plan to get patents for their work. But in 1974, they decided to apply for a joint patent. This patent would benefit both Stanford and the University of California, San Francisco.
Eventually, three patents were granted for their process. These patents covered the method of gene splicing. They also covered using bacteria and other cells to carry new genes. Many companies paid to use this technology. It became one of Stanford University's top ways to earn money.
Thousands of products have been created because of these patents. These patents were very important. They covered the basic way to combine genes. This made other universities realize how valuable scientific discoveries could be.
Awards and Recognition
Stanley Cohen has received many important awards for his scientific work.
- 1979: Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- 1980: Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 1981: Wolf Prize in Medicine
- 1988: National Medal of Science from President Reagan
- 1989: National Medal of Technology (shared with Herbert Boyer) from President Bush
- 1996: Lemelson–MIT Prize
- 2001: National Inventors Hall of Fame
- 2004: Albany Medical Center Prize (shared with Herbert Boyer)
- 2004: Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (shared with Herbert Boyer)
- 2006: Elected to the American Philosophical Society
- 2009: Double Helix Medal
- 2016: Biotechnology Heritage Award
See also
In Spanish: Stanley Norman Cohen para niños
