In 1970, Howard M. Temin of the UW-Madison McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research announced his discovery of an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (RT). RT is the key component of a research technique called reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR has become an essential diagnostic tool for detecting infectious agents including Covid-19.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1975 was awarded jointly, 1/3 each, to Howard Temin, David Baltimore, and Renato Dulbecco “for their discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell.” These discoveries are the basis of much of today’s biotechnology industry.