Recombinant DNA technology is a foundational breakthrough that changed biology forever. It gave scientists the ability to cut, insert, and join genetic material—essentially rewriting genomes by merging natural code with new instructions to alter how cells behave.

This innovation laid the groundwork for modern biotechnology and fundamentally transformed how medicines are discovered, developed, and manufactured.

The “Cut and Paste” of Life: Recombinant DNA

Genentech was founded on the revolutionary idea of using recombinant DNA to create life-saving medicines. This "cut and paste" technique uses molecular scissors to insert human genes into bacterial DNA, essentially turning microbes into microscopic protein factories. This foundational tool was the key that Genentech used to unlock the future of medicine.

Pioneering Biotechnology: From Proof to Product

Genentech quickly validated its pioneering recombinant DNA technology by successfully cloning the human hormone somatostatin in 1977. A year later, our scientists cloned human insulin, proving the commercial feasibility of biotechnology. They licensed the technology to Eli Lilly, leading to the development of the world's first genetically engineered pharmaceutical drug.

Humanized Antibodies: Redefining Treatment

One breakthrough led to another as the team next tackled one of the immune system's most powerful tools: antibodies.

Antibodies are brilliant at finding and neutralizing targets, but early mouse-derived versions were often rejected by the human body. Genentech's scientists pioneered a revolutionary solution: "humanized" antibodies that cleverly fused the targeting part of a mouse antibody onto a human antibody "scaffold."

This new class of targeted treatments became a cornerstone of modern medicine. Today, roughly 10% of all FDA-approved antibody therapeutics were developed by Genentech and the Roche Group.

Our Culture: Taking Our Work Seriously, Not Ourselves

From the beginning, our founders believed that Genentech’s success was tied directly to creating an environment that enabled employees to do their best work.

That principle still guides us today.

We're deeply proud that for fifty years, we’ve nurtured a compassionate, caring and playful culture where the persistence and hard work required to improve the lives of patients is balanced with celebrating our successes, building community, contributing together beyond our doors…and having plenty of fun.

Targeted therapies like Genentech’s breast cancer medicines work by having antibodies bind precisely to their receptors. This interaction demonstrates medicine's shift from broad treatment to highly specific intervention, operating across multiple scales—from molecular precision to biological effect.

The HER2 Revolution

Our journey in breast cancer began with the fundamental discovery of the HER2 protein in the 1980s. Scientists found that approximately 25% of aggressive breast tumors overexpress the HER2 receptor, causing cancer cells to grow uncontrollably. Pinpointing HER2 as the driver proved that a tumor's specific genetic alteration could be precisely targeted to combat the disease.

The First Personalized Medicine

The biological discovery of HER2 led to a revolutionary, targeted solution approved in 1998 for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Genentech’s medicine became the first true personalized cancer therapy, requiring a diagnostic test to identify which patients would benefit. This breakthrough proved that precise targeting based on disease biology could transform patient care and redefine outcomes for those with aggressive tumors.

New Breast Cancer Frontiers: HER2 and Beyond

Mastering HER2 biology opened doors to further innovations in breast cancer research. We advanced HER2-targeted therapy with a medicine approved in 2012 offering dual HER2 blockade, and with the first antibody-drug conjugate, approved in 2013. Expanding our understanding of breast cancer's diverse biology, we then pioneered the first anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer in 2019, and a PI3Kɑ inhibitor for HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation in 2024.

Learn more about our history of innovation in breast cancer here.

Roche and Genentech have always shared the same passion, the same integrity, and the same desire to transform the lives of patients. The connection between Roche and Genentech reaches back to a 1979 partnership agreement focusing on the development of interferons. Roche recognized early on that Genentech's pioneering research held immense potential.

In the years following, Roche closely watched Genentech’s progress, through the successes of early products and the challenges that many young companies face. In 1990, Roche purchased 60% of Genentech, an investment that solidified Genentech’s financial picture and helped drive the next generation of innovative treatments. Leveraging Roche’s global reach allowed Genentech to bring life-changing treatments to patients worldwide. Over the following two decades, Genentech medicines grew to represent more than 50% of Roche’s global pharmaceutical sales.

Thirty years after our first collaboration, Genentech joined the Roche Group in 2009. The successful transition was founded on a shared set of values that focus on patients, innovation, science and people.

Explore Roche's 125-year history.

Across five decades, Genentech scientists have turned bold ideas into historic firsts — breakthroughs that launched and advanced the biotechnology industry and redefined patient care. From the initial success of recombinant DNA technology to introducing the first therapies in our therapeutic focus areas, each “first” reflects a moment when our research opened new doors for science and medicine.

Together, these milestones illuminate a single, enduring mission: transforming deep biological insight into therapies that change lives.

Foundational First: The Birth of Biotechnology

• Genentech was the first company to commercialize recombinant DNA technology, creating the global biotechnology industry.
• Genentech secured the industry's first foundational patent and first key publication in Science on engineering bacteria to produce the human protein somatostatin, proving that human medicines could be mass-produced.

Oncology: Pioneering Targeted Cancer Therapy

• In 1998, Genentech received FDA approval for the first HER2-targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer, and the first therapeutic antibody launched with a required companion diagnostic to realize the potential of precision medicine.
• Genentech co-developed and commercialized the first anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved in the U.S. for cancer (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) and the first anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for treating an autoimmune condition (rheumatoid arthritis).
• Originating from a 1983 collaboration between Genentech and City of Hope Medical Center, the Cabilly patents established fundamental recombinant DNA methods for producing therapeutic antibodies, which were instrumental in oncology as well as immunology. The patents transformed the biotechnology industry, yielding many new medicines.

Immunology: Redefining Autoimmune Treatment

• Genentech developed the first anti-IgE biologic therapy for moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and food allergy, in collaboration with Novartis.

Ophthalmology: Innovation in Eye Health

• In 2006, Genentech achieved the first FDA approval for an anti-VEGF therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD): Lucentis (ranibizumab)
• In 2022, the first and only dual-pathway inhibitor for wet AMD and diabetic macular edema was approved: Vabysmo (faricimab) 

Neuroscience: Breaking Barriers in Brain Disease

• In 2017, Genentech launched the first B-cell depleter approved for relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS): Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) 
• In 2020 Genentech achieved approval for the first medicine for spinal muscular atrophy that can be taken at home, shifting drug treatment from the clinic to the patient’s home: Evrysdi (risdiplam)

Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolic Disease: Addressing High Unmet Need

• In 1987, Genentech pioneered the first medicine approved to treat both acute myocardial infarction and acute ischemic stroke, and the first recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) approved for acute myocardial infarction: Activase (alteplase) 
• Genentech developed the first new stroke treatment in nearly 30 years, approved by the FDA in 2000 to treat acute ischemic stroke as well as acute myocardial infarction: TNKase (tenecteplase)  

In early 1976, a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) scientist named Herb Boyer and a venture capitalist named Bob Swanson sat down for coffee. Over the next three hours, they sketched out an idea on a napkin that neither quite knew was possible: What if we could reprogram DNA to make medicine?

No one had done it before. But Herb and Bob believed the science could work—and they bet everything on finding out.

For the next year, a small team at Genentech worked alongside researchers at City of Hope. Long nights. Failed experiments. The kind of setbacks that make you question everything. Then, in 1977, it happened: they successfully cloned somatostatin. It was proof that recombinant DNA wasn't just theory. It was real. It worked.

That moment changed everything. Genentech had shown the world what biotechnology could do.

But Herb and Bob knew the real work was just beginning. The early years brought new discoveries, partnerships with established pharma companies, and the construction of the world's first biotech manufacturing facility. They also brought growing pains, competition, and moments of doubt. What kept people going was something deeper than ambition: a shared commitment to science and to each other.

Fifty years later, that culture is still here.

Placing a Priority on Publishing

From the beginning, Herb Boyer and Bob Swanson made a deliberate choice: scientists would publish their research in journals, with proprietary information protected by patents.

As Herb explained, "I felt it was extremely important for attracting the outstanding young scientists in the community that were interested in doing work in an industrial setting."

Herb’s goal was to bring together the best from industry and the best from the academic community.

In December 1977, that philosophy delivered. Genentech's first paper appeared in Science: "Expression in Escherichia coli of a chemically synthesized gene for the hormone somatostatin" - and as dry as the headline was, it was game-changing news for the scientific world.

Creating a Postdoctoral Program

As a fledgling company, Genentech welcomed a few postdocs in an ad hoc capacity in the 1970s and 1980s.

But to truly bring the "best of academia to industry" as Herb and Bob had always intended, Genentech established its formal postdoctoral program in 1990.

This program, the first of its kind in the industry, provided a structured path for PhD graduates to pursue basic discovery research within a corporate setting. It has a proud history of training scientists at the forefront of innovation and discovery.

Collaborating at Afternoon “Ho-Hos”

In the late 1970s, employees first established regular, Friday afternoon social gatherings called “Ho-Hos.”

As Bob recalled, “There wasn't management on the one hand and science on the other. We were all in it together. Ho-Hos were a way that people could get together in their shirt sleeves and relax at the end of the week, but wind up talking about how to do things better.”

Bob wanted people to be brave enough to follow the science wherever it led and feel comfortable speaking up with their ideas.

Five decades later, Ho-Hos are alive and well at Genentech. Learn more about the intentional approach to creating culture here.

Advancing Scientific Thinking at Asilomar

In February 1975, the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA in Pacific Grove, California, gathered geneticists, ethicists, and journalists to establish standards and safeguards for genetic engineering.

Genentech was founded shortly thereafter. In fact, one story says that Bob called the list of attendees alphabetically until he reached the "B's," finding a willing partner in Herb Boyer.

Genentech began using the historic Asilomar Conference Grounds in January 1985 for internal scientific conferences. These events included talks, posters, evening dances, poker, and long nights, shaped by a commitment to sharing ideas, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation to yield scientific breakthroughs. This tradition continues today across many Genentech groups.

Doubling Down on Science

When Art Levinson became Genentech’s CEO in 1995, he made a bold decision: drive the company’s growth through best-in-class internal research and development.

In one of his first actions as CEO, Art convinced the board to invest 50 percent of revenues back into research. He focused on significant unmet needs in oncology, immunology, and tissue growth and repair- and on still-unproven technologies like monoclonal antibodies.

"If we took the long-term perspective - if we funded a lot more of the projects coming out of research than a typical company would fund - we could ultimately help patients best," Art explained.

He believed great science would yield great medicines, and he was willing to take the risks, both in business and science, to make it happen.

And today… Roche and Genentech invest nearly $15 billion globally in R&D each year, representing one of the largest R&D budgets in the industry.

The Right Tool for the Job

As pioneers in biotechnology, Genentech's goal is to understand the precise, molecular drivers of disease. This deep knowledge allows us to build a sophisticated scientific toolkit—a range of advanced modalities and technologies, each designed to attack disease in a different way.

This toolkit gives us the power to match the right tool to the right target, pioneering the next generation of personalized medicines.

Antibody Engineering

Genentech scientists can re-engineer antibodies into antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that link a potent drug to an antibody "guided missile" designed to deliver treatment directly to tumors while sparing healthy cells. We also create bispecific antibodies with two different arms that pull cancer cells and immune T-cells together to ignite a focused attack.

Cell Therapy

Cell therapy can turn human cells into a powerful “living drug.” Immune cells are taken from a donor and reprogrammed with new genetic instructions to recognize that patient's specific cancer. Millions of these cells are grown and infused into a patient, creating a therapy that can in some cases destroy tumor cells and in others restore function to specific tissues and organs.

Computation and AI

Genentech harnesses the power of computation and AI to find the "signal in the noise." Our algorithms sift through mountains of complex biological data—from genetic sequences to patient records—to uncover hidden patterns in disease. This computational power helps us design and predict the effectiveness of new medicines on a computer before they are created in a lab.

Omics

"Omics" is the study of the entire biological picture. Our scientists can analyze the unique pattern of active genes and proteins in every individual cell inside a tumor. This high-resolution map helps us spot the "bad actor" cells and genes and discover highly specific new targets for our next generation of medicines.

For fifty years, we have led the biotech industry in translating pioneering science and technology into life-changing medicines for patients. Our legacy is long, but our work is not done.

We continue to tackle the most challenging questions in human biology and drug discovery with an unwavering commitment to following the science.

Today, we're combining our ground-breaking research with the power of Al, computation, and advanced manufacturing to disrupt drug discovery, accelerate the development of new medicines and unlock innovation for the benefit of all patients.

For five decades, Genentech has made news as a leader in scientific innovation, a highly regarded employer, a dedicated community partner, and a pioneer in developing life-changing medicines. Our breakthroughs, impact, progress and people have been chronicled in the media.

While this is a moment to reflect on how far we've come, it doesn't stop here. Learn how we're still pushing the boundaries of what is possible. We can't wait to see the headlines in our future.

Imagine What Comes Next