PCR - A Patent That Revolutionized Biotechnology and Launched a Television Series.

Biotechnology, a '90s lingo, popularly conjures up rather ominous pictures of gene-tinkering. Cross-breeding for desired features like tallness, bigger milk yield or sweeter fruits, has been practiced ever since humans took up farming. However classical breeding techniques have flaws, particularly the time period needed to achieve the specified quality. The new methodology permits the transfer of one or some selected gene at a time, for only one or some fascinating marks. And the strategy even authorizes genes with definite traits to be transferred from one species to another, not possible by standard breeding techniques. This is a brill link on genetic modification.

He realized that over a bn. copies of a DNA fragment could be made in an afternoon. On returning to Cetus Enterprise , he started lab work that would lead to a revolutionary patent. In 1987, US Patent 4,683,202 process for amplifying nucleic acid sequences issued. It also failed to take long for it to make the jump to Hollywood : PCR was highlighted in the flick Jurassic Park and is employed weekly in the CSI television series. Hoffman-La Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical giant recognized the commercial potential for PCR and bought the family of PCR patents for $300 million in 1990. Mullis and the Cetus Establishment had to prove to the patent office that their invention was helpful, novel and non-obvious private label content they'd sufficient evidence the invention was useful since it was fast adopted by biotechnologists after publication of the strategy in 1985.