Hens that heal: the Roslin Institute genetically modifies chickens so that they lay with human proteins

Poultry News

Hens that heal: the Roslin Institute genetically modifies chickens so that they lay with human proteins

January 29, 2019

UK – Chickens genetically engineered to produce human protein in their eggs can be a cost-effective method of producing drugs

Research suggests that chickens genetically engineered to produce human proteins in their eggs may be a cost-effective method of producing certain types of drugs.

Large amounts of protein can be recovered from each egg using a simple purification system. Some types of drugs work at least as well as the same proteins produced using existing methods.

The results provide strong evidence for the use of chickens as an inexpensive method of producing high-quality drugs for research studies and, eventually, for patients. The study – which initially focused on producing high quality protein for scientific research – did not reveal any adverse effects on the broilers themselves, which normally lay eggs.

Eggs for medical purposes

Eggs are already used for the culture of viruses used as vaccines, such as the influenza vaccine. This new approach is different because therapeutic proteins are encoded in chicken DNA and produced in egg white.

The team initially focused on two proteins essential to the immune system and having therapeutic potential: a human protein called IFNalpha2a, which possesses powerful antiviral and anticancer effects, and the human and porcine versions of the immune system. a protein called macrophage-CSF, which is being developed as a therapy that stimulates the repair of damaged tissue.

The researchers say they have not produced any drugs for the patients yet, but the study shows that the system is feasible and could easily be adapted to produce other therapeutic proteins.

A profitable method

Protein-based drugs, which include antibody-based therapies, such as Avastin and Herceptin, are widely used to treat cancer and other diseases. For some of these proteins, the only way to produce them with sufficient quality is to use expensive and low yielding mammalian cell culture techniques. Other methods require complex purification systems and additional processing techniques, which increases costs.

Scientists have already shown that goats, rabbits and genetically modified chickens can be used to produce protein therapies in their milk or eggs. Researchers say their new approach is more efficient, produces better returns and is more cost-effective than previous attempts.

In this study, three eggs were sufficient to produce a clinically relevant dose of the drug. As hens can lay up to 300 eggs a year, the researchers say their approach could be more cost effective than other production methods for some important drugs.

The study was conducted at the Roslin Institute and at Roslin Technologies, a company created to commercialize research at the Roslin Institute.

"We do not yet produce 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.

"We are delighted to fully develop this technology, not only for human therapies in the future, but also in the areas of research and animal health," added Dr. Lissa Herron, Head of Business Division. Bird biopharming by Roslin Technologies.