go forth and inspire. · 2020-06-14 · alongside many, you are the future. you are a scientist. in...

Playing the oddsIn the 1850s, the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel experimented with pea plant characteristics in a monastery garden. His observations of recessive and dominant qualities led to the idea of invisible “factors,” or genes, that determine predictable traits. Today, these rules of heredity can be combined with molecular-based screening techniques to identify individuals at high risk for genetic disease. Health care professionals can then advise on risk management activities that may help save lives.

Find out more at lifetechnologies.com/amazingscienceFor Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. CO010835 0714

You view the world through science-colored glasses,unafraid to confront the intangible.

You accept radical challenges,approaching each with equal parts logic and wonderment.

As one, you are a catalyst.Alongside many, you are the future.

You are a scientist.In the century of amazing science.

Go forth and inspire.







A closer look Carl Zeiss began selling the first compound microscopes in 1857. His partnership with physicist Ernst Abbe nearly 10 years later led to the commercialization of instruments that offered superior precision and image quality for the time. Today, advanced instruments are capable of “super-resolution” imaging, enabling scientists to gain a deeper understanding of cell and tissue structure, and empowering advancements in health care and disease research.







A small worldTechnology advancements enabling borderless data sharing have made a significant impact in the area of human identification. National and international DNA databases empower law enforcement with information that helps not only in solving crimes but also in identifying missing persons and victims of natural disasters. Recently, INTERPOL entered DNA samples from elephants seized after an illegal sale, in an effort to catch poachers. By sharing data internationally through powerful DNA databases, countries around the world can unite to make the world a better place for everyone.







The personalized journeyJames Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin determined the structure of DNA in 1953, ushering in a new understanding of heredity and its implication in disease. Today, semiconductor sequencing is transforming cancer research through the routine identification of mutations. As the era of personalized medicine approaches, the potential for clinically relevant genetic variants to impact an individual’s health becomes paramount.







Keeping food safe An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in 1982 led epidemiologists to establish a link, for the first time, between E. coli and human illness. Following more deadly outbreaks over a span of 11 years, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service changed the status of E. coli O157:H7 to an adulterant in raw ground beef, and several government agencies initiated food safety programs. Today, using bioinformatics and genomics accelerates our ability to detect specific food pathogens—helping to save lives and further protect the global food supply.







Reshaping medical discoveryThe discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2007 by Shinya Yamanaka and James Thomson unlocked the door for stem cell research. Along with Sir John Gurdon, Dr. Yamanaka was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine by showing that developed, specific cell types can be reprogrammed and reset to become cells capable of differentiating into any number of cell types throughout the body. From modeling diseases to discovering therapies—and perhaps one day even offering cures—stem cells have the potential to change the way we think about medicine.







The best defenseResearchers in 2013 successfully adapted a bacterial defense system—CRISPR-Cas—to function as a precision genome editing tool in cells derived from multiple species. Compared to the technically difficult, inefficient, and lengthy techniques previously employed, the CRISPR-Cas genome editing system is easy to use and can generate multiple simultaneous mutations in a matter of weeks or months. With this powerful tool, researchers hope to derail virulence in pathogens, reverse detrimental mutations, and introduce beneficial protein variants.







Protein powerPublication of the three-dimensional structures of myoglobin and hemoglobin in the 1950s by John Kendrew and Max Perutz marked the beginning of the modern era of protein structure determination and resulted in a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for these two scientists in 1962. Building on this early research, the modern disciplines of protein engineering and structural biology have emerged, carrying with them the promise of synthesizing designer molecules—everything from biological materials that function as green energy cells to improved antibiotics, targeted drug delivery systems, and personalized therapies.







Antibodies at workIn 1975, César Milstein and Georges Köhler developed the hybridoma technique for the production of monoclonal antibodies—for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984. The advent of monoclonal antibody technology has made it possible to raise antibodies against specific antigens present on the surfaces of tumors. Dozens of therapies are on the market today, with hundreds more undergoing clinical trials. Many are focused on immunological and oncological targets, including biotherapies that may one day obliterate cancer, autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, and other devastating diseases.







Food for thoughtHans Spemann published “Embryonic Development and Induction” in 1938, detailing the results of his “fantastical experiment” in which he transferred the nucleus of a 16-cell embryo to a single salamander embryo cell with no nucleus. Spemann’s hypothesis about nuclear transplantation is the basis for cloning, although his vision didn’t come to fruition until 1952, with the help of Robert Briggs and Thomas King. Today, this technology is used in agriculture to enhance disease resistance, thereby protecting the global food supply.







Super scienceIn 1961, the IBM 1620 was the fastest commercially available supercomputer in the world, costing $64,000. Two years ago, the 42nd fastest supercomputer in the world—equivalent to 4 trillion IBM 1620 computers—became available for hourly rental through the Amazon® cloud. Virtual and relatively affordable accessibility to supercomputers is rapidly advancing the potential of bioinformatic analysis of genetic information, and has the potential to impact areas from disease research and drug discovery to human identification.







Wrangling outbreaksIn 1987, biologists David Kulesh, Diana Clive, and James Greene of the Catholic University of America and Dante Zarlenga of the US Department of Agriculture Research Center used radiolabeled cDNA as probes in the first DNA array for gene expression profiling. Gene expression techniques today use fluorescent probes to detect and quantitate gene activity. Such probes can be used to accurately detect influenza virus and monitor outbreaks around the world, allowing for real-time results that help prevent deadly pandemics.

go forth and inspire. · 2020-06-14 · alongside many, you are the future. you are a scientist. in...

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