Har Gobind Khorana
Biochemist who shared the Nobel Prize for cracking the genetic code
- Lived
- 89 yrs
- 1922 – 2011
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 1969
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian-born American biochemist who shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for showing how the genetic code directs the making of proteins. He later led the team that built the first artificial gene. He died in 2011.
Biography
A village schoolroom
Khorana was the youngest of five children of a village tax clerk in Punjab; his family was one of the few literate ones in the village, and he was taught under a tree. He studied chemistry at the Punjab University in Lahore and won a government scholarship to the University of Liverpool, where he earned a PhD in 1948.
Learning the chemistry of life
After postdoctoral work in Zurich and Cambridge, he set up a laboratory in Vancouver, Canada, where he developed methods to make coenzyme A and to join nucleotides in a controlled order. In 1960 he moved to the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Enzyme Research.
The genetic code
Using chemically synthesised strands of RNA with known repeating sequences, Khorana’s team showed which three-letter combinations of nucleotides — codons — stand for which amino acids, completing the work begun by Marshall Nirenberg. He shared the 1968 Nobel Prize with Nirenberg and Robert Holley.
The first synthetic gene
Moving to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970, he led the team that chemically built a working gene for a transfer RNA, first reported in 1972 and made functional in a living cell by 1976 — a foundation for modern biotechnology. He became a US citizen in 1966, received the Padma Vibhushan in 1969 and died in Concord, Massachusetts, on 9 November 2011.
Timeline
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1922
Born in Raipur, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan)
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1948
PhD at Liverpool
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1952
Starts his laboratory in Vancouver
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1960
Joins the University of Wisconsin
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1966
Becomes a US citizen
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1968
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
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1969
Padma Vibhushan
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1970
Moves to MIT
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1972
Reports the first synthetic gene
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2011
Dies in Massachusetts
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2011
Died, aged 89
Awards and honours
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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
1968 · Shared with Robert Holley and Marshall Nirenberg.
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Padma Vibhushan
1969
Did you know?
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1
He learnt to read under a tree in his village.
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2
His lab built the first artificial gene.
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3
A US–India scholarship programme is named after him.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 9 January
Frequently asked
Who is Har Gobind Khorana?
Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian-born American biochemist who shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for showing how the genetic code directs the making of proteins. He later led the team that built the first artificial gene. He died in 2011.
When did Har Gobind Khorana die?
Har Gobind Khorana died on 9 November 2011 at the age of 89.
Where is Har Gobind Khorana from?
Har Gobind Khorana was born in Raipur, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan).
What is Har Gobind Khorana known for?
Har Gobind Khorana is best known for Interpreting the genetic code; building the first synthetic gene.
What awards has Har Gobind Khorana received?
Notable honours include Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1968), Padma Vibhushan (1969).
References
- Har Gobind Khorana — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Har Gobind Khorana — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Har Gobind Khorana — Nobel Prize facts. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Har Gobind Khorana — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Har Gobind Khorana — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Har Gobind Khorana (Q107462) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Har Gobind Khorana”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
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About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Har Gobind Khorana.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/har-gobind-khorana
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