Arber Werner

Arber  (ärbr), Werner Born 1929.

Swiss microbiologist who postulated the existence of restriction enzymes, selective enzymes that break down molecules of DNA into pieces small enough to be separated for individual study but large enough to retain bits of the original substance's genetic information. These enzymes (later isolated by Hamilton Smith) laid the foundation for the science of genetic engineering, and for this work Arber shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Smith and Daniel Nathans.