Francisco Bolívar Zapata Prince of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research 1991

The Jury for the 1991 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, comprising Lorenzo Abellanas Rapún, Antonio Fernández- Rañada, Francisco Grande Covián, Fernando Lozano, Emilio Llorente, Antonio Pérez Casas, Juan Oró, Julio R. Villanueva, Santiago Uriel, gathered in Oviedo under the presidency of Severo Ochoa and with Jose Antonio Martínez-Alvarez acting as secretary, have decided unanimously to grant the 1991 Prince of ASTURIAS Award for Technical and Scientific Research to Francisco Bolívar Zapata, for his studies into the isolation, characterisation and manipulation of genes, of interest on a basic level, as well as to the biotechnology industry.

Dr. Bolívar has significantly contributed to the design, construction and characterisation of molecular vehicles for the cloning and expression of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Likewise, he participated in key experiments for the technological application of genetic engineering and biotechnology as part of the team of researchers who, in 1979, in California, created and organised the production of bacteria of the human hormones insulin and somatostatin, related with the growth hormone.

Oviedo, 3rd May 1991