Last week, the Department of Biochemistry hosted a reception to honor William Rutter, who was presented an honorary UW-Madison degree at the May 13, 2016 commencement ceremony.

Rutter was nominated by the Department of Biochemistry. He held a postdoctoral appointment with noted scientist Henry Lardy at UW–Madison’s Institute for Enzyme Research early in his career. A pioneering biochemist, Rutter helped lay the foundation for the emerging field of biotechnology. Research breakthroughs under his leadership include the first cloning of genes for insulin and growth hormone, at the University of California, San Francisco, and a recombinant DNA vaccine for hepatitis B and decoded genomes for HIV and hepatitis C viri, at the Chiron Corp.