William J. Rutter (1927–2025)

It is with tremendous sadness that we write to let you know that the renowned biochemist, scientific leader, and biotech pioneer Dr. William J. Rutter (Bill) passed away today.

Born on August 28, 1927, in the small town of Malad, Idaho, Bill graduated from Harvard University in 1949 and earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois in 1952. After three years of postdoctoral work studying enzymes, he joined the faculty in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, where he remained for eight years. In 1965, he moved to the University of Washington, joining the Departments of Biochemistry and Genetics. There, he continued his work on the pancreatic system and began focusing on the mechanisms of DNA transcription.

In 1968, UCSF succeeded in recruiting Bill to develop a new Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Gordon Tomkins, a molecular endocrinologist from the NIH, joined him as vice chair, and together they successfully recruited key researchers who laid the foundation for a multidisciplinary approach to the biology of eukaryotes, using the rapidly developing tools of molecular biology.

While building this outstanding new department, Bill’s laboratory completed pathbreaking research on eukaryotic RNA polymerase transcription systems. He then produced a structural and functional analysis of the rat and human insulin genes using recombinant DNA technology developed in 1973 by his colleagues Herbert Boyer (UCSF) and Stanley Cohen (Stanford). In 1981, Bill and two colleagues founded Chiron Corporation to explore potential solutions to human disease. Chiron’s hepatitis B research led to the development (in collaboration with Merck) of the first recombinant vaccine for hepatitis B. In 1987, Chiron’s discovery and cloning of the hepatitis C virus made possible the development of diagnostic tests and therapeutic drugs for this virus.

Bill remained chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics until 1982, when he was appointed director of the Hormone Research Institute at UCSF. He retired in 1991 as the Herzstein Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus. During his prolific career, Bill and his colleagues published more than 380 scientific articles, and he held more than 25 patents. In addition to many other honors, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

After his retirement from UCSF, Bill began a second distinguished career as a spokesman for and developer of the biotechnology industry. He remained an active advisor to the UCSF campus, was among the planners of UCSF’s Mission Bay campus, and in 1996, he was awarded the UCSF Medal for his personal contributions to the health sciences. That same year, Bill received the Heinz Award “for his role in helping to create the biotechnology industry and for his interest in shaping the industry to serve society.”

In 1999, he founded Synergenics, LLC, a consortium of commonly owned but independent biotech companies offering a cost-effective approach to life sciences startups through financial support, shared lab space, and management and administrative services.

In 2000, Chiron Corporation received the Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research for “its breakthrough research on the hepatitis C virus and for its development of new blood screening technologies.” In 2003, the Chemical Heritage Foundation presented Bill with the Biotechnology Heritage Award for “his contributions to vaccination and genome research as well as his tireless work in the field of biotechnology in general.” Fittingly, in 2007, UCSF announced that Mission Bay’s newest building—designed to facilitate communication between industry and campus—would be named the William J. Rutter Center.

He is survived by his son Hank, daughter Cindy, and grandson Will Rutter; as well as by his sisters, Helen Rutter Gygi and Karen Rutter Randall, and her husband Nick.