Class 12th Biology 2012 Set2 Delhi Board Paper Solution

Question 17

Explain the work carried out by Cohen and Boyer that contributed immensely in biotechnology.

Answer

Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer conducted one of the first genetic engineering experiments. They invented the technique of DNA cloning. Cohen developed a method of removing plasmids from the cell and then reinserting them in other cells. Combining this process with that of DNA splicing enabled Boyer and Cohen to recombine segments of DNA in desired configurations and insert the DNA in bacterial cells, which could then act as manufacturing plants for specific proteins. Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer accomplished this in 1972.