Paul Berg
Academic Appointments
- Emeritus (Active) Professor, Biochemistry
- Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Biochemistry
Contact Information
- Academic
Offices
Personal Information EmailAdministrative Contact Ms. Jane Kroeten Admin. Assoc. Beckman Center Email Tel Work 723-6170
Professional Snapshot
Administrative Appointments
- NAS-CSIS Roundtable on Biotechnology & Bioterrorism, NAS-CSIS (2001 - 2004)
- Chairman, Public Policy Cmte., American Society for Cell Biology (1998 - 2002)
Honors and Awards
- Nobel Prize, Chemistry, Nobel Foundation (1980)
- Eli Lilly Award in Biochemistry, Eli Lilly (1959)
- California Scientist of the Year, State of California (1963)
- Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University (1969, 1972)
- V.D. Mattia Prize for Molecular Biology, Roche Institute (NA)
Professional Education
| Ph.D.: | Case Western Reserve University, Biochemistry (1952) |
| B.S.: | Pennsylvania State University, Biochemistry (1948) |
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
For about 10 years until 2000, my lab’s research activities were focused on the mechanism of recombinational repair of double-strand breaks in DNA. We focused our efforts on two model systems: one involved the repair of restriction enzyme cleavages at specific mammalian chromosomal loci and the second explored the biochemical properties of purified yeast Rad51 protein, an essential catalyst for synapsing the broken ends of DNA with an intact homologue of that sequence. We also explored the roles of Rad52 and PRA (single-strand DNA binding protein) in the repair process.
In 2000, I became Emeritus Professor in Biochemistry and stepped down from the Directorship of the Beckman Center. Much of my activities since then have been involved in writing a biography of the genetics pioneer George Beadle, published in 2003, plus articles for other publications elaborating on Beadle’s legacy for today’s science. Over the years I have been and continue to be an activist in public policy issues affecting biomedical issues, e.g. recombinant DNA and more recently, issues concerning embryonic stem cells.
Publications
- Personal reflections on the origins and emergence of recombinant DNA technology. Genetics. 2010; (1): 9-17
- Retrospective: Arthur Kornberg (1918-2007). Science. 2007; (5856): 1564
- A genome-wide analysis of CpG dinucleotides in the human genome distinguishes two distinct classes of promoters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006; (5): 1412-7
- Brilliant Science, Dark Politics, Uncertain Law Jurimetrics. 2006
- Origins of the human genome project: why sequence the human genome when 96% of it is junk? Am J Hum Genet. 2006; (4): 603-5
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