A tribute to Professor Arnold L Demain – a lifetime in industrial microbiology

Abstract

Professor Arnold (Arny) Lester Demain is one of the few scientists who have witnessed the progress of biotechnology in a career that has spanned almost 60 years. He is one of the world’s leading industrial microbiologists who has pioneered discovery in genetic and nutritional regulation of biosynthetic pathways leading to overproduction of a suite of primary and secondary metabolites, and their subsequent scale-up in manufacturing processes. These metabolites have huge economic value due to their application in the food, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. In this article, Arny’s story is summarised and put in context of the changing face of biotechnology in the various ‘golden ages’ of biotechnology. A former Rubbo Orator in 1979, Arny will be visiting Australia again in 2010 to present the closing plenary address at the Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms Symposium (GIMS) in Melbourne, a role he played before at the first GIMS in 1970.