Science Entrepreneurs: Genentech

Genentech (link) is a large biotech company that was founded in 1976 by Robert A Swanson and Dr. Herbert W. Boyer. Genentech in stands fro Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc. One of the company's founder Dr. Hebrert W. Boyer is considered to be one of the pioneers in the field of Recombinant DNA technology. In 1973 Stanley Normal Cohen along with Boyer invented recombiant genetic engineering, by finding out that restriction enzymes can cut segments of DNA from a DNA stand and put it to another similarly cut part. While Cohen was researching in a laboratory, Robert Swanson convinced Boyer to found Genentech, from that point on Boyer worked with Arthur Riggs and Keiichi Itakura from Beckman Research Institute to become the first group to ever successfully express a human gene in a bacterial cell. With this, they produced the hormone somatostatin in 1977. Then the next year, David Goeddel and Dennis Kleid were added to their group to contribute to its success with insulin. Genentech now has over 10,000 members as of 2006 making it a very large company. Genentech excels in the fields of Oncology, Immunology, and Tissue Growth and Repair. They have created an array of medicines:

• 1982 - Synthetic
• 1985 - Protropin
• 1987 - Activase
• 1990 - Actimmune
• 1993 - Nutropin
• 1994 - Pulmozyme
• 1997 - Rituxan
• 1998 - Herceptin
• 2000 - TNKase
• 2003 - Xolair
• 2003 - Raptiva
• 2004 - Avastin
• 2004 - Tarceva
• 2006 - Lucentis

And Genentech also received several awards for their contributions to science:

• "Genentech was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2004, 2006 and 2007 by Working Mothers Magazine.
• It was named as one of the 100 best corporate citizens 2005 by the Business Ethics Magazine.
• Fortune Magazine named Genentech number one on its 2006 list of the "100 Best Companies To Work For." And has been on this list for the nine consecutive times, just not as number one.
  
• Genentech was named Top Employer by Science Magazine on October 15, 2007 issue.
  
• Also in October 2007, Genentech was named Most Admired Biotech Company as well as most admired Pharmaceutical company in Fortune in 2008."