1. 8/17/10 2:22 PMNMAH | Dow Donates DNA Fermenter to National Museum of American History
Page 1 of 2http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/pressrelease.cfm?key=29&newskey=261
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Press Release
June 10, 2005
Dow Donates DNA Fermenter to National Museum of
American History
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has acquired an
original Genentech Inc. fermenter for its Medicine & Science collection from
current owner Dowpharma, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company.
Dow announced the donation June 9 at The Chemists’ Club’s Winthrop-
Sears Award Dinner honoring biotechnology pioneer and Genentech co-
founder Herbert Boyer. The Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia
hosted the event.
Fermentation, one of the oldest technologies used to make alcoholic
beverages and fermented foods, was applied to the new technology of
recombinant DNA in the 1970s to commercially produce proteins such as
human insulin and human growth hormone. Used by Genentech from 1977
to 1985, this fermenter was among the first to generate these therapeutic
proteins. The stainless steel fermenter stands 9 feet tall and is 3 feet in
diameter.
“For DNA to have an impact on society—to be more than just a static
molecule, a laboratory exercise—it had to become a component of a useful
industrial process,” said Ramunas Kondratas, the museum’s curator of
medical history. “The new scientific field of recombinant DNA pioneered by
biochemists Herbert Boyer, Stanley Cohen and others made that possible.”
“We are honored to share part of Dow’s rich heritage in biotechnology in
the form of this significant reminder of one of the earliest practical biotech
advancements,” said Nick Hyde, global business director of Dowpharma.
Media only:
Museum:
Valeska Hilbig
(202) 633-3129
Mentus (for Dow):
Kathy Witz Sweeney
(858) 455-5500, x230
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2. 8/17/10 2:22 PMNMAH | Dow Donates DNA Fermenter to National Museum of American History
Page 2 of 2http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/pressrelease.cfm?key=29&newskey=261
“Dow’s work today continues our commitment to preserve the history of the
life science community.”
The Genentech fermenter will join an array of scientific instruments in the
museum’s collections that document the history of biotechnology, genetic
engineering, molecular biology and medicine. These include Nobel Prize
winner Barbara McClintock’s microscope; brass plates from James Watson
and Francis Crick’s original DNA model; Stanley Cohen’s laboratory
equipment from Stanford and notebook recording his 1973 cloning
experiment; and an Applied Biosystems Inc. DNA sequencer used in the
Human Genome Project.
The National Museum of American History traces American heritage
through exhibitions of social, cultural, scientific and technological history.
The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., and
is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Dec. 25. For more
information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000 or
(202) 357-1729 (TTY).
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