Berg, Paul

Chemistry: Foundations and Applications, (2004)

Berg, Paul

AMERICAN BIOCHEMIST 1926–

Berg understood the darker side of this technology too. He knew that it was theoretically possible to create new organisms with new pathogenic abilities which may be able to infect humans with new diseases. These diseases could be potentially deadly since the body would not have a chance to build up any immunity against them. In 1975, Berg and others working in recombinant DNA technology recommended a set of regulations, known as the "Berg Letter" to prevent such problems. These research guidelines are still in place today, although some rules have been relaxed as control over such experimentation has increased.

Dr. Berg's interest in science began early. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1948 and obtained his doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1952. He spent several years as a research fellow at the Institute of Cytophysiology in Denmark and later at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He was eventually promoted to chairman of the microbiology department at Washington University. By 1959, Berg moved west to Stanford University where he served as professor of biochemistry. In February of 1975 he helped organize the Asilomar Conference, an international forum on advances in DNA technology. Paul Berg has earned many prestigious awards and honors, including election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Perhaps the highlight of his career came in 1980 when he shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry with Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger for his work with DNA.