Golden Eggs: Engineered hens lay drugs
Scottish scientists have genetically engineered hens that can not only produce useful drugs in their eggs but also reliably pass on this characteristic to new generations of chickens. Successfully combining these two traits represents a first for researchers aiming to transform animals into living drug factories, the scientists say.
Certain proteins can counteract a variety of medical conditions, from anemia to diabetes to cancer. While some of these protein drugs are relatively simple to make in the lab, others are difficult, time-consuming, or expensive to produce.