Cole-Parmer Blog

August is National Inventors' Month

August is National Inventors Month, a 31-day celebration of individuals who have tirelessly worked to advance our way of life. Cole-Parmer wants to acknowledge one individual in particular for his discoveries in chemistry and biology (and this Friday, August 13 he celebrates his 92 birthday). 

This distinguished individual is the only man thus far to have won two Nobel prizes for his accomplishments in chemistry.  In 1955, he determined the complete amino acid sequence of the polypeptide chains of insulin.  This discovery showed that proteins have a defined chemical composition, debunking the previous belief that proteins lacked a specific shape or structure.  His work in uncovering these amino acid sequences of insulin earned him his first Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958. This breakthrough, in turn, helped pave the way for later discoveries by Francis Crick in how base sequences of DNA or RNA determine the sequence of amino acids. 

Not one to stop there, he continued investigating proteins and nucleic acid sequences, and in 1975 developed the “dideoxy” method for DNA sequencing.  This chain-termination method offers a means of rapidly and efficiently sequencing DNA. It soon became the preferred method of DNA sequencing and is used in the Human Genome Project.  It utilizes gel electrophoresis machines to quickly sequence DNA and has led to countless advances in forensics and disease management.  It is a method more commonly referred to by this scientist’s surname. He won his second Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1980 for his work developing this method that determines the nucleotide sequences of nucleic acids. 

Cole-Parmer Horizontal Gel Electrophoresis Systems

So, who is this man whose discoveries paved the way for countless advances in our way of life?  Dr. Frederick Sanger, inventor of the Sanger Method.