Kary B(anks) Mullis

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Kary B（anks） Mullis

1944-

Source: Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2000.

New Entry : 05/16/2000

"Sidelights"

Biochemist Kary Mullis is best known for winning the 1993 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on initiating and controlling a process called the polymerase chain reaction （PCR）, a chemical technique that allows scientists to replicate bits of DNA or even specific genes in large quantities over a very short period of time. "His discovery, " writes a contributor to Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, "soon led to the production of genetic material from dead insects, an event that in turn inspired the storyline of the movie Jurassic Park." On a more commercial level, the contributor continues, "its applications extend into many other scientific fields （especially medical diagnostics）, and it plays an important role in law enforcement and even historical research."

However, the biochemist is also known as a maverick with little respect and little patience for bureaucracy. Mullis's career began while he was working on his Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. "In Berkeley at that time [the late 1960s and early 1970s] there was a great deal of interest in the effects of hallucinogenic drugs, " reports the Contemporary Heroes and Heroines contributor; "Mullis taught a controversial neurochemistry class on the subject." After receiving his degree in 1973, Mullis taught at the University of Kansas Medical School and at the University of California at San Francisco, and then entered the private research field, joining Cetus Corporation. "At Cetus, Mullis was bored by the routine demands of corporate life, " writes the contributor to Contemporary Heroes and Heroines. "With no real responsibilities, he ended up spending much of his time sunbathing on the roof and writing computer programs that would automatically respond to certain kinds of administrative requests."

Then came his idea for PCR. After Mullis conceived the idea of PCR in 1983, Cetus began marketing a machine called the Thermal Cycler to take advantage of the process. PCR has proven invaluable in many different fields, ranging from the medical （it is heavily used in early testing for AIDS, cancer, sickle cell anemia, Huntington's chorea, and cystic fibrosis）, evolutionary biology, historical research, and law enforcement. "Cetus awarded the inventor of PCR only $10, 000 for the patent, " writes the Contemporary Heroes and Heroines contributor, "a sum Mullis found inadequate and even insulting, given the potential use of the process. Feeling bitter and unappreciated--not to mention frustrated by the restrictions the company continued to place on his scientific research--Mullis left in 1986 to become director of molecular biology at Xytronyx." Emily Yoffe, in a piece for Esquire in 1994, wrote: "[PCR] was a gold mine, and [Cetus] was inundated with potential partners wanting to extract the riches. In the end, the company sold the rights for part of the application of the technology to the Swiss firm Hoffmann-La Roche for $300 million. It was a huge figure but worth it: Today PCR-related technology is a $1-billion-a-year industry." Mullis left Cetus in 1986 for greener pastures. After a brief time at Xytronyx as a director of molecular biology, he became an independent consultant, then chairman of StarGene and vice president of molecular biology at Vyrex Corp.

Kary Mullis recounts his life and work in his autobiography Dancing Naked in the Mind Field. "Dancing Naked is partly an autobiography, mostly an explosive voiding of rheum on the idiocies of contemporary science and culture, " writes Steven Shapin in the London Review of Books. "Mullis presents himself as a professional eccentric, a voice crying in the wilderness, a free-booting inpidualist. 'Because of the Nobel Prize, I am a free agent. I don't owe anything to anybody.' So he's going to give us all a piece of his magical mind, and he doesn't give a toss what anybody thinks." "As one becomes immersed in this collection of Mullis' tantalizing stories and provocative ideas, " writes Charles Gropper in the Lancet, "it becomes clear that the most interesting topic in the book is the author himself. A vivid portrait emerges of a complicated, unique man; Mullis shows himself to be many things--brilliant, creative, independent, eccentric, at times childish and impulsive, but above all, never boring." "Dancing Naked in the Mind Field is a dumb title, perhaps, but this is a darkly joyous work, an autobiography of the nervous system of an extraordinary chemist, " states New York Times Book Review contributor Dick Teresi. "I'm not sure that a human writer, as we normally perceive one, is in control here, but the results are delightful."

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Family: Born December 28, 1944, in Lenoir, NC; son of Cecil Banks Mullis （a salesman） and Bernice Alberta （Barker） Fredericks （a real-estate broker）; married, 1964 （marriage ended）; married Gail Hubbell （marriage ended）; married Cynthia Gibson （a nurse）, 1976 （marriage ended, 1981）; children: （first marriage） Louise; （third marriage） Jeremy, Christopher. Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. （chemistry）, 1966; University of California--Berkeley, Ph.D. （biochemistry）, 1973. Avocational Interests: Surfing. Memberships: American Chemical Society, Institute for Further Study （director, 1983--）. Addresses: Home: 6767 Neptune Pl., Apt. 5, La Jolla, CA 92037-5924. Office: Vyrex Inc., 2159 Avenida de la Palaya, La Jolla, CA 92037-5924.

AWARDS

Preis Biochemische Analytik, German Society of Clinical Chemistry, 1990; Allen Award, American Society of Human Genetics, 1990; Gairdner Foundation Award, 1991; National Biotech Award, 1991; named Scientist of the Year, R & D Magazine, 1991; Robert Koch Prize, 1992; named California Scientist of the Year, 1992; Japan Prize, Science and Technology Foundation of Japan, 1993; Clinical Chemistry Award, American Association of Clinical Chemists, 1993; Nobel Prize for chemistry, 1993 （shared with Michael Smith）; Honorary D.Sc., University of South Carolina, 1994; Gustavus Esselen Award, American Chemical Society, 1994.

CAREER

University of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, teacher of biochemistry, 1973-77; University of California--San Francisco, postdoctoral fellow in pediatric biology, 1977-79; waited tables in a restaurant, 1979; Cetus Corporation, Emeryville, CA, member of research staff, 1979-86; Xytronyx, San Diego, CA, director of molecular biology, 1986-88; freelance biochemical research consultant, 1988-92; StarGene, Inc., San Rafael, CA, chairman, 1992--; College of Science and Math, University of South Carolina, distinguished visiting professor, 1994--; Vyrex Corp., La Jolla, CA, vice president of molecular biology, 1997--.

WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:

· （Editor with Francois Ferre and Richard A. Gibbs） The Polymerase Chain Reaction, Birkhauser （Boston, MA）, 1994.

Dancing Naked in the Mind Field （autobiography）, Pantheon Books （New York City）, 1998.