John Shine is a leading figure in the molecular biology of gene structure and expression and its application to medicine. He has made major contributions to the development of recombinant DNA technology, both in Australia and internationally. He was the first to clone a human hormone gene and was a central figure in cloning the first mammalian genes, insulin and growth hormone. He was the first to demonstrate that human genes cloned in bacteria could be expressed in a biologically active form and, more recently, has made major contributions to evolving concepts of the structure and function of receptor families.