Kary Mullis
Kary Mullis | |
---|---|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Molecular biology |
Thesis | Schizokinen: structure and synthetic work (1973) |
Doctoral advisor | J. B. Neilands |
Website | karymullis |
Kary Banks Mullis (December 28, 1944 – August 7, 2019) was an American biochemist. In recognition of his role in the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Michael Smith[2] and was awarded the Japan Prize in the same year. PCR became a central technique in biochemistry and molecular biology, described by The New York Times as "highly original and significant, virtually dividing biology into the two epochs of before PCR and after PCR."[3]
Mullis downplayed humans' role in climate change, expressed doubt that HIV is the cause of AIDS,[4][5][6] and professed a belief in astrology and the paranormal.[7][8] Mullis's unscientific statements about topics outside his area of expertise have been named by Skeptical Inquirer as an instance of "Nobel disease".[7]
Early life and education
Mullis was born in Lenoir, North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Mountains,[9] on December 28, 1944, to Cecil Banks Mullis and Bernice Barker Mullis.[10] His family had a background in farming in this rural area. As a child, Mullis said, he was interested in observing organisms in the countryside.[11] He and his cousins would often taunt livestock by feeding them through electric fences, and Kary was mostly interested in the spiders in his grandparents' basement.[12] He grew up in Columbia, South Carolina,[11] where he attended Dreher High School,[13] graduating in the class of 1962. He recalled his interest in chemistry beginning when he learned how to chemically synthesize and build solid fuel propulsion rockets as a high school student during the 1960s.[14]
He earned a Bachelor of Science in
His doctoral dissertation was on the structure of the bacterial
Career
After receiving his doctorate, Mullis briefly left science to write fiction before accepting the University of Kansas fellowship.[15] During his postdoctoral work, he managed a bakery for two years.[3] Mullis returned to science at the encouragement of UC Berkeley friend and colleague Thomas White, who secured Mullis's UCSF position and later helped Mullis land a position with the biotechnology company Cetus Corporation of Emeryville, California.[11][3] Despite little experience in molecular biology, Mullis worked as a DNA chemist at Cetus for seven years, ultimately serving as head of the DNA synthesis lab under White, then the firm's director of molecular and biological research; it was there, in 1983, that Mullis invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure.[22]
Mullis acquired a reputation for erratic behavior at Cetus, once threatening to bring a gun to work; he also engaged in "public lovers' quarrels" with his then-girlfriend (a fellow chemist at the company) and "nearly came to blows with another scientist" at a staff party, according to California Magazine.[18] White recalled: "It definitely put me in a tough spot. His behavior was so outrageous that the other scientists thought that the only reason I didn't fire him outright was that he was a friend of mine."[18]
After resigning from Cetus in 1986, Mullis served as director of molecular biology for Xytronyx, Inc. in
Thereafter, Mullis worked intermittently as a consultant for multiple corporations and institutions on nucleic acid chemistry and as an
Mullis was a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board.[25] In 2014, he was named a distinguished researcher at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in Oakland, California.[26]
PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and other inventions
In 1983, Mullis was working for Cetus Corporation as a chemist.
Other Cetus scientists who were regarded as "top-notch experimentalists",[18] including Randall Saiki, Henry Erlich, and Norman Arnheim, were placed on parallel PCR projects to work on determining if PCR could amplify a specific human gene (betaglobin) from genomic DNA. Saiki generated the needed data and Erlich authored the first paper to include use of the technique,[3] while Mullis was still working on the paper that would describe PCR itself.[15] Mullis's 1985 paper with Saiki and Erlich, "Enzymatic Amplification of β-globin Genomic Sequences and Restriction Site Analysis for Diagnosis of Sickle Cell Anemia" — the polymerase chain reaction invention (PCR) — was honored by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society in 2017.[27][28]
A drawback of the technique was that the DNA polymerase in the reaction was destroyed by the high heat used at the start of each replication cycle and had to be replaced. In 1986, Saiki started to use
Mullis also invented a UV-sensitive plastic that changes color in response to light.[29]
He founded Altermune LLC in 2011 to pursue new ideas on the immune system.[30] Mullis described the company's product thusly:
It is a method using specific synthetic chemical linkers to divert an immune response from its nominal target to something completely different which you would right now like to be temporarily immune to. Let's say you just got exposed to a new strain of the flu. You’re already immune to alpha-1,3-galactosyl-galactose bonds. All humans are. Why not divert a fraction of those antibodies to the influenza strain you just picked up. A chemical linker synthesized with an alpha-1,3-gal-gal bond on one end and a DNA aptamer devised to bind specifically to the strain of influenza you have on the other end, will link anti-alpha-Gal antibodies to the influenza virus and presto, you have fooled your immune system into attacking the new virus.[9]
In a
Another proof-of-principle of this technology, re-targeting pre-existing antibodies to the surface of a pathogenic strep bacterium using an alpha-gal modified aptamer ("alphamer"), was published in 2015 in collaboration with scientists at the University of California, San Diego.[32][33] Mullis said he was inspired to fight this particular strep bacterium because it had killed his friend.[31]
Accreditation of the PCR technique
A concept similar to that of PCR had been described before Mullis's work. Nobel laureate
His co-workers at Cetus contested the notion that Mullis was solely responsible for the idea of using
The anthropologist Paul Rabinow wrote a book on the history of the PCR method in 1996,[39] in which he discusses whether Mullis "invented" PCR or merely came up with the concept of it.[40][further explanation needed]
Views on HIV/AIDS and climate change
In his 1998 autobiography, Mullis expressed disagreement with the scientific evidence for humans' role in climate change and ozone depletion.[41][42] Mullis claimed that scientific theories about ozone depletion and climate change were the product of scientists and government bureaucrats conspiring to secure funding,[43] saying that "science is being practiced by people who are dependent on being paid for what they are going to find out" instead of searching for the truth.[15] The New York Times listed Mullis as one of several scientists who, after success in their area of research, go on to make unfounded, sometimes bizarre statements in other areas, especially in regard to contradicting the scientific consensus on climate change and ozone depletion.[44]
Mullis also questioned the scientific validity of the link between
According to Skeptical Inquirer, Mullis's statements on HIV/AIDS and human-caused climate change are an instance of "Nobel disease", i.e. the tendency of some Nobel laureates to go on to embrace ideas that are scientifically implausible, rejected by most scientific experts, and based mostly on anecdotal or uncorroborated evidence.[7]
Use of hallucinogens
Mullis practiced
Interest in the supernatural
Mullis expressed interest in the
Personal life
Mullis was a surfer as well as a musician,[41][56][15] being both a guitarist and vocalist. He married four times,[15] and he had three children by two of his wives. At the time of his death, he had two grandchildren and was survived by his fourth wife, Nancy (née Cosgrove[57][58]). Mullis died on August 7, 2019, at his home in Newport Beach, California,[5][59] from complications of pneumonia.[5][18][60]
Selected publications
- Mullis, Kary (1968). "Cosmological Significance of Time Reversal". Nature. 218 (5142): 663–664. S2CID 4151884.
- Mullis, K.F.; Faloona, F.; Scharf, S.; Saiki, R.; Horn, G.; Erlich, H. (1986). "Specific enzymatic amplification of DNA in vitro: The polymerase chain reaction". Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. 51: 263–273. S2CID 26180176.
- Mullis, Kary B. (April 1990). "The Unusual Origin of the Polymerase Chain Reaction". Scientific American. 262 (4): 56–65. PMID 2315679.
- The Polymerase Chain Reaction, 1994, co-edited with Francious Ferre and Richard A. Gibbs (Basel: Birkhauser) ISBN 978-0-8176-3750-7.
- Mullis, Kary B. (1995). "A hypothetical disease of the immune system that may bear some relation to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome". Genetica. 95 (1–3): 195–197. S2CID 28158163.
- Mullis's 1998 autobiography Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (ISBN 978-0-679-77400-6) gives his account of the commercial development of PCR, as well as providing insights into his opinions and experiences. In the book, Mullis chronicles his romantic relationships, use of LSD, synthesis and self-testing of novel psychoactive substances, belief in astrology and an encounter with an extraterrestrial in the form of a fluorescent raccoon.[41]
Awards and honors
- 1990: Boehringer Mannheim[62]
- 1991: National Biotechnology Award,John Scott Award of the City Trusts of Philadelphia[64]
- 1992: California Scientist of the Year Award[63]
- 1992: Robert Koch Prize[65]
- 1993: Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Japan Prize,[1] Thomas A. Edison Award[63]
- 1994: Honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of South Carolina[26]
- 1994: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[66]
- 1998: Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame,[67] Ronald H. Brown American Innovator Award[68]
- 2004: Honorary degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Bologna, Italy[69]
- 2010: Honorary degree of Doctor honoris causa in the field of biological sciences from Masaryk University, Czech Republic[70]
See also
- COVID-19 misinformation § PCR testing
- History of the polymerase chain reaction method
- List of National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees
- List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry
- Nobel Prize controversies
- Luc Montagnier, Nobel laureate who has promoted controversial and unverified health claims
References
- ^ a b "Laureates of the Japan Prize". Japan Prize Foundation. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- PMID 12108595.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ Pineda, Dorany (August 13, 2019). "Kary Mullis, quirky Nobel laureate whose DNA discovery changed the science world, dies". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c McClain, Dylan Loeb (August 15, 2019). "Kary B. Mullis, 74, Dies; Found a Way to Analyze DNA and Won Nobel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022.
- ^ Arnaud, Celia Henry (August 21, 2019). "Kary Mullis dies at age 74". Chemical & Engineering News.
- ^ ISSN 0194-6730. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Jarry, Jonathan (August 15, 2019). "The Man Who Photocopied DNA and Also Saw a Talking Fluorescent Raccoon". McGill University, Office for Science and Society. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Mullis, Kary B. (n.d.). "Kary B. Mullis Biographical". NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1993". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-33528-0.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1993". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Mullis, Kary. "Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1993: The Polymerase Chain Reaction". NobelPrize.org.
- ^ Mullis, Kary (February 2002). Play! Experiment! Discover!. TED.com (video with transcript). Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ from the original on February 6, 2020.
- OCLC 17971376.
- S2CID 4151884.
- ^ OCLC 939087276. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
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- ^ "Kary Mullis". www.k-state.edu. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ a b CV 2009 karymullis.com
- ISSN 0013-0613.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7382-0445-1.
- PMID 11656768.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ "Advisors". USA science festival. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Biography". Karymullis.com. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Citations for Chemical Breakthrough Awards 2017 Awardees". Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
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- ^ Vigue, C.L. (2021). Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia: Kary B. Mullis. Salem Press, a division of EBSCO.
- ^ "Loxbridge and Dr Kary Mullis Announce the Formation of Altermune Technologies with $7m Seed Investment". Business Wire (Press release). September 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Mullis, Kary (February 2009). A next-gen cure for killer infections. TED.com (video with transcript). Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ Buschman, Heather (May 6, 2015). "Molecular Homing Beacon Redirects Human Antibodies to Fight Pathogenic Bacteria" (Press release). University of California, San Diego. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
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- ISBN 978-1-4200-4016-6.
- ^ United States District Court, N.D. California. (July 26, 2001). "Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. v. Promega Corporation, (N.D.Cal. 2001)". Casemine. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
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- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the originalon September 23, 2021.
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- ^ a b c Winter, David (October 8, 2011). "The Nobel disease". The Atavism. Sciblogs. Wellington, New Zealand: Science Media Centre. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, George (October 28, 2007). "Bright Scientists, Dim Notions". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
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- ^ Kalichman, Seth (November 3, 2009). "How to spot an AIDS denialist". New Humanist. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
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- ^ ISBN 978-0-679-44255-4.
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- ^ Harrison, Ann (January 16, 2006). "LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug?". Wired. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
Like Herbert, many scientists and engineers also report heightened states of creativity while using LSD. During a press conference on Friday, Hofmann revealed that he was told by Nobel-prize-winning chemist Kary Mullis that LSD had helped him develop the polymerase chain reaction that helps amplify specific DNA sequences.
- ^ Golden, Frederic (December 13, 2000). "The Worst And The Brightest". Time.
- ISSN 0140-0460.
- ISSN 1930-8965.
- ^ Clark, Debbie (August 9, 2019). "Nobel Prize-winning chemist who grew up in SC capital dies at 74". The Post and Courier. Charleston, S.C. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ "Nobel Winner Kary Banks Mullis, Who Revolutionized DNA Research, Dies in O.C." MyNewsLA.com. August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "Past Recipients, William Allan Award". American Society of Human Genetics. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ "Award Winners 1970 – 2017". German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4381-0976-3.
- ^ "The John Scott Award Recipients: 2007". garfield.library.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania. October 28, 2005. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Robert Koch Award". Robert-Koch-Stiftung. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Inventor Profile", Hall of Fame, Invent.org, December 28, 1944, archived from the original on July 6, 2010, retrieved July 27, 2010
- ^ Nobel Prize Winner Among Rondal H. Brown Award Recipients, USA: PTO, October 13, 1998, archived from the original on February 20, 2009, retrieved July 27, 2010
- ^ "Laurea ad honorem a Kary Mullis" (in Italian). University of Bologna. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ "Kary Banks Mullis". Masaryk University. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
Further reading
- Liversidge, Anthony (April 1992). "Kary Mullis, the great gene machine". Omni. ISSN 0149-8711. Archived from the originalon January 21, 2001.
External links
- Official website
- "Patent Portfolio of Kary Mullis". DirectoryInventor. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013..
- Kary B. Mullis on Nobelprize.org
Interviews
- Interview, Nobel Prize committee, 2005.