Paul Berg

Paul Berg, born in 1926, American molecular biologist and Nobel Prize winner. Berg is a leader in research involving the nucleic acid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the chemical determinant of heredity. He was the first scientist to combine DNA molecules from two different organisms to form a hybrid known as recombinant DNA. His gene-splicing techniques made possible a whole new industry—genetic engineering—and paved the way for laboratory development of new pharmaceuticals, including insulin and growth hormones. For his work with recombinant DNA, Berg was awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in chemistry, which he shared with British biochemist Frederick Sanger and American molecular biologist Walter Gilbert.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Berg received his Ph.D. degree in biochemistry in 1952 from Case Western Reserve University. In 1959 he became a professor of microbiology at Stanford University, and from 1969 to 1974 served as chairman of the microbiology department. He was appointed Wilson Professor of Biochemistry in 1970.

Berg intended to isolate a single gene from one organism and transfer it into a totally different organism in order to study its workings in isolation. He selected the genes of simian virus 40 (SV40), a monkey virus known to cause cancer in human cells and in laboratory cultures. First, he combined the DNA molecule of SV40 with the DNA of a bacterial virus called lambda. He then planned to insert this hybrid molecule into the bacterium Escherichia coli, where the lambda virus would then attack the bacteria. Berg surmised that when the virus entered the baterial cell, it would inject its own DNA—the recombined SV40-lambda molecule. The bacteria would then multiply, causing the alien gene to replicate itself in large quantities.

Berg halted his experiment when he realized that creating a synthetic virus could be highly dangerous. If any bacteria containing the hybrid DNA escaped the laboratory—for example, into the fresh-water supply—it could infect the environment with unpredictable consequences. Berg called for a yearlong shutdown of all recombinant-DNA experiments until the dangers could be assessed. He was instrumental in creating the National Institutes of Health (NIH) safety guidelines implemented in 1976. Afterward he successfully completed his experiment and its effects were far-reaching. Since Berg had joined the DNA of two different species, it was now theoretically possible to create new life-forms. The multiplying effect of bacteria produced limitless copies of molecules for future research, including pharmaceutical development. His genetic-engineering technique is used to manufacture specific human proteins like interferon, and has created the potential for curing genetic defects.

Since receiving his Nobel award, Berg has continued his research at Stanford, applying his methods to the genes of higher animals. Since 1984 he has served as director of Stanford University's Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine.