Throughout 2016, it has been inspiring to reflect on our 40-year history and celebrate our defining moments—scientific discoveries, breakthrough medicines, important collaborations, near-misses and even failures we have learned from along the way.
Ours is a history of progress against the odds, from early experiments in making human insulin to exploring the frontiers of cancer immunotherapy. With resilience and determination, we’ve overcome setbacks and pushed the boundaries of science, changed the practice of medicine and touched the lives of millions of patients.
Along with the big defining events have been countless smaller, everyday moments that are epic in themselves: the hours we spend evaluating data, counting cells, monitoring equipment, meeting customers and the incalculable other tasks that go into making medicines and ensuring they reach the patients who need them. We have succeeded in changing lives because of the dedication and hard work of thousands of people at Genentech doing a lot of little things really well, every day, over a long period of time.
As we look ahead to the future, we are motivated by the accomplishments of our first 40 years. With our ever-increasing understanding of the human genome and the biology of disease, we are optimistic that we can continue to transform the practice of medicine and meet the needs of patients even faster. We will do so with an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for patients, pursuing groundbreaking science and creating an environment where our employees can fully contribute to our purpose.
As we publish this story—our 40th story in our 40th year—we recognize the everyday efforts of our employees and thank our partners, health care providers, patients and their families for their contributions to and belief in our work. While this is the last story about 40 defining moments in our history, there will certainly be many more defining moments to come.
To celebrate our everyday epic moments, photographers and employees captured a day in the life at Genentech.
Title Image: Christine Kugel from biomolecular engineering. Photo by Kyle Mortara, Genentech department of structural biology.