In 1982, authentic human insulin produced in genetically engineered Escherichia coli (under the trade name Humulin, from Genentech) was the first recombinant protein to be licensed by regulatory authorities for therapeutic use. That licensure and the subsequent production of human growth hormone heralded a new era of biopharmaceuticals and were the first examples of the industry's future potential. Both proteins are produced as fully active biologicals in E. coli. Insulin and human growth hormone are fairly simple small proteins, without…