Biochemistry 2024 Recognition Ceremony Special Guest
Dr. Marvin Caruthers, Inventor of the Automated DNA Sequencer
In the early 1980s, Dr. Caruthers invented an efficient, automated technology for synthesizing DNA that remains the leading method today. The chemical reactions that Caruthers discovered accurately and quickly assemble nucleotides into strands of DNA. With Leroy Hood, Dr. Caruthers founded Applied Biosystems, Inc. which commercialized the ABI automated DNA synthesizer, and Amgen, one of the first biotechnology companies. The “Gene Machine” gave labs across the world routine access to pure oligonucleotides, enabling the emergence of recombinant DNA technology and modern molecular biology. Sequencing the human genome, advanced biotechnology, and modern precision medicine would not have been possible without this keystone invention.
In 1994 Caruthers was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the National Medal of Science (2006), the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society (2005) and the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (2014). More recently, he was selected for the Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology (2023). Dr. Caruthers will receive an Honorary Degree from the CU Board of Regents at the 2024 Commencement!
The DNA phosphoramidite synthesis cycle
The chemical strategy starts with phosphoramidite building blocks of protected deoxynucleosides (dA, dG, dC, dT). These are sequentially coupled to a growing oligonucleotide chain that is linked to a solid support polymer, to allow washing and addition of new reagents with each step. After completing the chain, the oligonucleotide is removed from the solid support and purified. Dr. Caruthers has also adapted this approach to the synthesis of RNA and modified nucleotides.