Kary B. MullisBorn 28 Dec 1944. Kary Banks Mullis is an American biochemist who invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 1983, for which he shared(with Michael Smith) the 1993 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The PCR technique is simple, and within a few hours can make billions of copies of a specific stretch of DNA. It is a powerful aid in medical diagnosis of a bacterial or viral infection, able to use a very small sample of genetic material to identify the causative agent. PCR is valuable in genetics, and forensic science. With its use, genetic disorders can be identified from DNA samples. Using minute traces of tissue, PCR can yield sufficient DNA to identify parents and family kin, crime suspects, corpses, anthropological or ancient fossil remains. PCR is also a basic tool in gene sequencing.« |
