Timelines: 1988
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OncoMouse™
(Image credit: Science Museum/Science & Society)
The first patented mammal
The Harvard OncoMouse becomes the first patented mammal. Geneticist Philip Leder and molecular biologist Timothy A. Stewart design the animal for use in biomedical research. It expresses a specific activated oncogene (or cancer-causing gene) that makes it highly susceptible to the development of breast cancer. DuPont retains rights to the invention and registers ‘OncoMouse’ as a trademark.