There are also significant medical applications for expression systems, notably the production of human insulin to treat diabetes.
Since 1978, genetically modified bacteria have been producing human insulin, which is used by 3.3 million people with diabetes.
But even those few were responsible last year for $6 billion in sales of gene-based drugs, like human insulin.
By year's end, it will begin using an innovative technology to manufacture recombinant human insulin.
The first such race, for synthesizing human insulin, was won by Genentech.
The association has had calls from hundreds of sufferers after a report that 17 people on human insulin have died this year.
When injected subcutaneously, it appears in the blood earlier than human insulin.
But our results argue against any systematic adverse effect of human insulin.
Two systems for engineering a 'human' insulin were developed and most patients have been switched to these engineered products.
The bacteria, through the process of translation, created human insulin.