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How did Herbert W. Boyer, Paul Berg, and Stanley N. Cohen contribute to recombinant DNA technology?

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A step-by-step diagram shows donor DNA and vector DNA cut with restriction enzymes to create overhangs, mixed and sealed with ligase to form recombinant DNA, which is introduced into bacterial cells. The recombinant DNA replicates as the cells divide, producing clones. — biotechnology Steps involved in the engineering of a recombinant DNA molecule.

The development of recombinant DNA technology was a collaborative advancement in biotechnology driven by the work of Paul Berg, Herbert W. Boyer, and Stanley N. Cohen.

Paul Berg: In the early 1970s, Berg performed the first successful gene-splicing experiment by combining DNA from two different viruses to create a recombinant molecule. He further developed methods to split DNA at specific sites and attach segments to viral or plasmid DNA, which could then be introduced into host cells to synthesize new proteins.12
Herbert W. Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen: Building on these foundations, Boyer and Cohen pioneered techniques to insert recombinant DNA into bacteria, allowing the molecules to replicate. They developed methods for generating recombinant plasmids and were among the first to successfully cut DNA, rejoin fragments, and insert them into E. coli bacteria for reproduction.13

These breakthroughs enabled the commercialization of the technology, notably through the founding of Genentech in 1976, which utilized these methods to produce substances such as insulin.12