The U.S. General Accounting Office released a scathing report on the National Plant Germplasm System
On Dec. 4, 1981, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on the National Plant Germplasm…
the 21st session of the FAO Conference in Rome, genetic resource conservation becomes an internationally politicized issue
On Nov. 25, 1981, at the 21st session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference in Rome,…
Quadrivalent groups A, C, Y, and W-135 (Menomune A/C/Y/W-135 by Connaught) meningococcal vaccine was licensed
On Nov. 23, 1981, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed Quadrivalent groups A, C, Y, and W-135…
Biotechnology | Disease | HIV | Therapeutics
NCI sponsored a conference on Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections
On Jun. 15, 1981, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored a conference in Bethesda, MD, on Kaposi’s Sarcoma…
FDA approved vinblastine, a drug that binds to tubulin, a key player in cell division
On Jul. 2, 1981, the FDA approved vinblastine, a drug that binds to tubulin, the protein building block…
The Department of Health and Human Services assigned implementation of the U.S. Superfund Act to CDC
In July 1981, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assigned implementation of the Superfund Act to…
The costs of pneumococcal vaccine and its administration became a covered benefit under Medicare Part B
On Jul. 1, 1981, as a result of the enactment of Public Law 96-611 passed by the U.S….
ZymoGenetics was incorporated
On Jun. 22, 1981, ZymoGenetics was founded by University of Washington professors Earl Davie and Benjamin Hall, and…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | HIV | NIH | Therapeutics
The first AIDS patient seen at the NIH was admitted
On Jun. 16, 1981, Dr. Thomas Waldmann helped treat the first patient with AIDS. In 2016, the Food…
Genzyme Corporation was founded in Boston, Mass
On Jun. 8, 1981, Genzyme was founded by Sheridan Snyder, George M. Whitesides and scientist Henry Blair, with…
Biotechnology | CDC | Diagnostics | Disease | Rare Disease
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first cases of AIDS
On Jun. 5, 1981, Dr. Michael Gottlieb and colleagues of University of California at Los Angeles reported a…
University of California, San Francisco performed the first succesful fetal surgery
On May 10, 1981, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) performed the first successful fetal surgery, correcting a…
Gene synthesizing machines were developed
In May 1981, Applied Biosystems was founded by Hewlett Packard engineers Sam Eletr, their first CEO, and Andre…
A new Biological Response Modifiers Program was established in the Division of Cancer Treatment
On Apr. 27, 1981, a new Biological Response Modifiers Program was established in the Division of Cancer Treatment…
Artificial skin was created from living cells for the first time
On Apr. 23, 1981, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital announced they had for the first time successfully tested…
Stanford Medicine performed first successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the world
On Mar. 9, 1981, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Bruce Reitz from Stanford Medicine performed the first successful human combined…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | Disease | FDA | Medical Device | Medicine | Pharmaceutical | Therapeutics
New regulations to protect people participating in medical research issued
On Jan. 27, 1981, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and…
Merck began to commercialize Ivermectin as veterinary anti-parasitic drug
In 1981, Merck began commercialize ivermectin as a broad-spectrum veterinary anti-parasitic drug that was originally developed to treat…
Hybritech issued its Initial Public Offering
In 1981, Hybritech issued its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and raised $12 million, and $33 million in a…
First human viral vaccine to prevent cancer (hepatitis B vaccine for liver cancer) was introduced
In 1981, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine for human use….
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washington injected purified DNA into a single-cell mouse embryo
In 1981, Frank Ruddle from Yale University, Frank Costantini and Elizabeth Lacy from Oxford, and Ralph L. Brinster…
Biotechnology | CDC | Diagnostics | Influenza | Vaccine
CDC began collecting reports of influenza outbreaks from state and territorial epidemiologists
In 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began collecting reports of influenza outbreaks from…
Biotechnology | NIH | Oncology | Therapeutics
The City of Hope Cancer Center received NCI-designation
In 1981, the National Cancer Institute (NC) awarded The City of Hope Cancer Center NCI-designation. City of Hope’s…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | NIH | Oncology
The La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation (Burnham Institute) received its NCI-designation
In 1981, the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, the Cancer Center received its National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designation. The…
Stanford Medicine researchers first reported successful use of monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer
In 1981, Stanford oncologist Ronald Levy reported the first successful use of monoclonal antibodies, which are laboratory-created molecules…
Roger W. Sperry was awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine
In 1981, Roger W. Sperry of the California Institute of Technology was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | Disease | Oncology | Radiology | Therapeutics
John Wayne Cancer Institute was founded
In 1981, John Wayne Cancer Institute (formerly known as the John Wayne Cancer Clinic) was founded to promote…
William Panje invented the neolarynx restoring speech to cancer patients who have had their larynxes removed
In 1981, University of Iowa researcher William Panje introduced the neolarynx, or “voice button,” restoring speech to cancer…
CDC | Diagnostics | HIV | Infectious Disease | Therapeutics
The CDC established the International Health Program Office
In 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the International Health Program Office, now…
The University of Hawaii Cancer Center was founded
In 1981, The University of Hawaii Cancer Center (UH Cancer Center) was founded. The UH Cancer Center’s mission…