Eggs, once considered a diet no-no, are now being given glowing reviews as a source of dietary protein. Some studies have even shown that eating them could be helpful in healthy weight loss. Now, they could also be a way to produce some important, lifesaving drugs quickly and in a more cost-efficient way. Wow, are eggs multitalented or what?
Roslin BioCentre, the home of the famous (or infamous) “Dolly the Sheep,” in collaboration with two biopharmaceutical companies, has created a new drug- producing alternative: the “OVA System.” The full details are going to be revealed in an upcoming article on the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
I’m sure you’re wondering how chickens can produce eggs that carry drugs, so let’s delve a little bit into the mechanics of this new system. First off, the drugs in question are protein-based: 1) “miR24,” which is a humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of a specific type of cancer (malignant melanoma); and 2) “interferon beta-1a,” which is an antiviral protein used to combat multiple sclerosis (MS).
The British research team injected a virus into newly laid chicken embryos in order to transport the genes for either one of these proteins into the birds’ developing genes for “ovalbumin,” which is one of the major proteins that go into the production of egg whites.
Once these genetically modified chicks were hatched, the males were found to carry the revised DNA in their semen for whatever protein they were injected with. So, the special roosters were bred with non-modified hens in order to create chickens with the DNA that would allow them to produce one of the two proteins in their egg whites. Roslin BioCentre now has more than 500 of the genetically modified, protein-making chickens.
Why would researchers want to turn chickens into “biofactories?” Well, it’s not easy or cheap to produce these illness-fighting proteins synthetically. So, science has turned to nature’s own protein-making factories — animals. Other animals, such as goats and cows, have already been used in drug-manufacturing attempts.
However, the British scientific team decided to use chickens, because the birds could create more protein- producing offspring in a shorter amount of time due to their relatively brief life cycle — and the fact that they could lay lots of special protein-laden eggs in a short period of time. Once drug manufacturers have extracted the specific protein from the egg whites, it is said to be relatively easy to finish creating the drug from that point.
Therefore, this finding could lead to cheaper drugs — yes, I said the magic word: “cheaper!” But let’s not get too excited yet — this project has been in the works for more than 15 years already and it could take years of trials before these poultry-produced drugs are available.
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Tags: high protein diet, natural weight loss
