History of GMOs Timeline

In Diamond v. Chakrabarty, the US Supreme Court ruled that a genetically modified bacterium capable of breaking down crude oil could be patented, declaring that 'anything under the sun made by man' is patentable. This decision paved the way for commercial investment in GM organisms.

Image source: Diamond v. Chakrabarty

The FDA approved human insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria, marketed by Genentech as Humulin. It was the first consumer product made with recombinant DNA technology, demonstrating the medical potential of genetic engineering.

Image source: Insulin (medication)

The FDA approved the Flavr Savr tomato, making it the first commercially grown genetically modified food to be granted a license for human consumption. It went on sale in US stores in 1994, though it was ultimately a commercial failure.

The EPA approved Bt corn, engineered with a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis to produce a protein toxic to insect pests like the European corn borer. It reduced pesticide use and crop losses, becoming one of the most widely planted GM crops.

Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans, resistant to glyphosate herbicide, were commercialized in 1996. Farmers could spray entire fields to kill weeds without harming crops, and adoption spread rapidly across the Americas.

Image source: Glyphosate

GloFish, zebrafish engineered with fluorescent protein genes to glow in bright colors, became the first genetically modified animal sold as a household pet in the United States, opening a new consumer market for GM organisms.

Image source: GloFish

The Rainbow papaya, engineered for resistance to papaya ringspot virus, had rescued Hawaii's papaya industry since its 1998 introduction; by 2009 it accounted for the vast majority of Hawaiian papaya production, showcasing a clear agricultural success story.

Image source: Papaya ringspot virus

The USDA approved Arctic apples, engineered via RNA interference to resist browning when sliced. They reached stores in 2017, marketed as reducing food waste and appealing directly to consumers rather than farmers.

The FDA approved AquAdvantage salmon, engineered with growth hormone genes from Chinook salmon to grow faster year-round. It was the first GM animal approved for human consumption in the United States.

Image source: AquAdvantage salmon

Brazil approved CTC's Bt sugarcane, the world's first commercial GM sugarcane, engineered to resist the cane borer pest. Brazil, a global sugar and ethanol leader, expanded its portfolio of GM crops beyond soybeans, corn, and cotton.

Scientists produced the first transgenic mice by introducing foreign genes into embryos, creating animals whose genomes carried DNA from other species. These 'supermice' grew larger than normal and proved genetic engineering worked in mammals.

Image source: Genetically modified mouse

The first authorized field trials of genetically modified plants took place in the United States and France, testing herbicide-resistant tobacco. These trials marked the transition of plant genetic engineering from laboratory to open environment.

Calgene developed the Flavr Savr tomato, engineered to slow ripening through antisense RNA technology. It was designed to stay firm longer after harvest, offering consumers a vine-ripened taste with extended shelf life.

Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland cloned Dolly the sheep from an adult somatic cell, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. While not a transgenic animal, Dolly revolutionized thinking about genetic manipulation of animals.

Image source: Dolly (sheep)

Researchers Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer developed Golden Rice, engineered to produce beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Designed to combat blindness and death from vitamin A deficiency in developing countries, it became a symbol of humanitarian biotechnology.

Image source: Golden rice

Improved versions of Golden Rice with significantly higher beta-carotene levels were developed, advancing the grain toward eventual regulatory approval in the Philippines and Bangladesh decades after its invention.

According to ISAAA reports, the global area planted with biotech crops exceeded 190 million hectares across dozens of countries, led by soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola, demonstrating broad worldwide adoption since 1996.

Japan approved a CRISPR-edited tomato with elevated GABA levels, the first gene-edited food approved for sale in Japan. It marked a shift toward lighter regulation of gene-edited crops distinct from transgenic GMOs.

Image source: CRISPR gene editing

The Philippines issued a permit allowing direct use as food, feed, or processing of Golden Rice, making it the first country to approve the vitamin A-enriched grain for propagation, two decades after its development.