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New research suggests that the future of drug manufacturing could be based on genetically modified chickens. Research conducted for the University of Edinburgh suggests that chickens modified to produce human proteins in their eggs could be a cost-effective way of producing certain drugs.
The study initially aimed to determine how to produce high quality proteins for scientific research. It revealed that drug products produced in the same way were as effective as proteins developed using standard laboratory methods.
Proteins are easily recovered from each egg using simple purification systems, and the genetic modification does not have any detrimental effects on chickens that lay eggs on a regular basis.
Chickens could become a cost-effective way to produce high quality drugs for use in research studies and could eventually produce drugs for use in humans.
Chickens can produce proteins at a lower cost
Only three eggs were needed to form a clinically relevant dose of the drug. Chicken produces more than 300 eggs a year, making drugs via eggs a cost-effective method compared to the high-intensity work required in some laboratories.
Human-friendly drugs have not been produced yet, but scientists in the study say it's a possibility.
"We are not yet producing drugs for humans, but this study shows that chickens are commercially viable for the production of proteins suitable for drug discovery studies and other applications in biotechnology", said Professor Helen Sang of the Roslin Institute.
Eggs are already used for the growth of viruses that are then used in vaccines such as the influenza vaccine. This new research offers a different approach because therapeutic proteins are encoded in chicken DNA and produced in egg white.
"These recent findings provide a promising proof of concept for future drug discovery and potential for more cost-effective protein-based drug development," said Dr. Ceri Lyn-Adams, BBSRC's Scientific Strategy Officer.
Anticancer drugs may become cheaper
Two proteins were chosen for initial research, a human protein called IFN alpha 2a, which has potent antiviral and anticancer effects, and the human and porcine versions of a protein called macrophage-CSF, which is undergoing damaged tissue development to repair himself.
Protein-based drugs are commonly used in the treatment of cancer. However, the only way to produce some of these proteins at a sufficiently high level is to use mammalian cell culture techniques, which are expensive and have low yields.
The researchers are working with commercialization experts to develop new methods of producing drugs for research related to animal health and human therapeutics.
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