We acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council Starting Grant ABLASE (ERC StG 640012), the Scottish Funding Council (via SUPA) and the European Union Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (PCIG12-GA-2012-334407). M.K. acknowledges funding from the EPSRC DTG (EP/M506631/1). S.H. gratefully acknowledges support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the ’Hybrid Polaritonics’ Program Grant (Project EP/M025330/1). ; Direct laser writing of photonic boxes into active layers of biologically produced recombinant fluorescent protein in optical microcavities is demonstrated. Irradiation with laser light above the photobleaching threshold induces photonic confinement potentials on the order of 40 meV. The technique provides high spatial selectivity and enables room-temperature lasing in protein rings, and circular and elliptical pillars with customized beam shapes. ; Publisher PDF ; Peer reviewed