Before there were blockbuster drugs, clinical trials, and biotech startups, there was… dye.
In this episode of Petri Dish Perspectives, we explore one of the most overlooked origin stories in modern medicine: how 19th-century chemical dye companies laid the foundation for today’s pharmaceutical giants. From coal tar chemistry and synthetic pigments to the birth of industrial drug discovery, this episode unpacks why companies like Bayer, BASF, Ciba, and Hoechst evolved from coloring textiles to curing disease.
We dive into the science that connects dyes and drugs, the role of wartime chemistry and national strategy, and the researchers who transformed color into cure. This is the story of how industrial chemistry reshaped medicine and why modern pharma still carries the DNA of its dye-making past.
Whether you’re in biotech, pharma, or just curious about how science and history collide, this episode reveals why the pharmaceutical industry didn’t start in hospitals but in chemistry labs.
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