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One day in the future, treating some ailments and diseases can be as easy as having breakfast.
Scientists have genetically modified chickens to lay eggs containing anti-cancer and arthritis drugs, and say the method is up to 100 times less expensive to produce than manufacturing medications in factories.
Scientists modified the chickens by inserting a human gene, one that normally produces a particular protein in humans, into part of the chicken’s DNA, that which produces the white part of the egg.
The researchers focused on two proteins. One is essential to the immune system and has powerful antiviral and anticancer effects. The other stimulates damaged tissues to repair themselves.
“Production from chickens can cost anywhere from 10 to 100 times less than the factories,” says Dr. Lissa Herron, of Roslin Technologies in Edinburgh. “So hopefully we’ll be looking at least 10 times lower overall manufacturing cost.”
The researchers say that, in time, by scaling up the operations, medicine can be produced in commercial quantities and much less expensively. A single chicken can lay up to 300 eggs per year.
Researchers say that the health of the genetically modified chickens isn’t affected in any way.
“As far as the chicken knows, it’s just laying a normal egg,” said says Dr. Herron. “It doesn’t affect its health in any way, it’s just chugging away, laying eggs as normal.”
The researchers said that these genetic modifications can also be made to other types of animals in order to produce eggs or milk containing beneficial medications for humans. Such procedures have previously been successful with genetically modified goats and rabbits.
One particular aim of the researchers is to boost the immune systems of farm animals, as an alternative to using antibiotics. With animals, as it is with humans, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The researchers also hope to use these methods in producing medications for improving animal health at a lower cost. Currently, some types of drugs for animal health are too costly, and thus it becomes too cost-prohibitive to save the animal’s life.
Due to the lengthy regulatory procedures necessary to bring these types of medications to market, researchers say that they expect it will take between 10 and 20 years before such animal-derived medications become available.
