Gene Sequence and Production of Recombinant MetGH/hGH.

Recombinant human growth hormones were the products of a revolution in biotechnology that took place in the San Francisco Bay area of California in the 1970's. A combination of Herb Boyer's restriction enzymes with Stanley Cohen's bacterial plasmids provided the power to select and amplify virtually any gene. The complementary personalities and talents of Herb Boyer and Robert Swanson led to formation of Genentech and with it the development of a product that overcame the limitations of scarcity and the risks of slow virus contamination inherent in extracted pituitary growth hormone. The extra amino acid in metGH was dropped and other manufacturers joined in the effort to explore indications for rhGH beyond the replacement of a missing hormone. After more than thirty years of availability and careful study, we still have much to learn about the safe and effective use of rhGH.