Har Gobind Khorana, US /Indian molecular biologist (Raipur, Punjab 09 January 1922 – Concord, Massachusetts 09 November 2011)

ACHIEVEMENTS

Authored over 500 publications

With A. Todd described a new method for the preparation of pyrophosphates employing a new fosforilating reagent (1953)

With John G. Moffat developed a method for synthesizing acetyl CoA (1959)  

Proved that 3 nucleotides specify a amino acid and determined the exact order of nucleotides in codon triplets

Determined that some codon prompt the cell to start or stop the production of proteins 

With M. Nirenberg and P. Leder obtained the complete series of genetic code (1961-66) independent from researches of Robert Holley

First to synthesize oligonucleotides (1970)  

First to isolate DNA ligase  

Performed the first chemical synthesis of a gene (1970)

Developed Khorana replication method that shared some similarities to PCR method (1971)

Obtained the first artificial gene to act naturally when inserted in a living being (1976)

Synthesized the gene of bovine rhodopsine (1980s)

HONORS  

Medicine & Physiology Nobel Prize 1968  

Louise Gross Horwitz Award 1968

Albert Lasker Award 1968

Gairdner Foundation International Award 1980