On Jan. 6, 1971, research scientists at the University of California Berkeley announced the first synthetic production of growth hormone.

The research team was led by Dr. Choh Hao Li who isolated HGH in 1956 and determined its structure in 1966. In 1970 Li and his team were able to synthesize the hormone. At a length of 256 amino acids it was the largest protein ever synthesized at that time.

This was not merely an academic achievement: Growth hormone deficiency or hypopituitarism is a relatively common disease with 1 in every 3800 newborns being affected. Symptoms range from hypoglycemia, micropenis and growth failure to memory loss and depression.

Standard therapy then and now has been hormone replacement therapy. However, without the marvels of modern biotechnology that we now have, this approach proved difficult. From the late 50s on, growth hormone for the treatment of afflicted children was isolated from the pituitary glands of human cadavers. 

Li’s synthetic approach to the production of growth hormone paved the way for the recombinant production of hormones, which after FDA approval in 1985 greatly increased the supply. Today, hormones and cytokines are standard tools in medical practice as well as research. Biomol offers a wide range of purified as well as recombinant and synthetic cytokines for your research.