Hens laying eggs have anticancer drugs

Japanese scientists have modified genes in hens to lay eggs with available anticancer drugs, in an attempt to reduce the cost of treating this expensive disease.

According to Newsweek magazine on October 9, these special eggs are capable of producing a protein called Interferon , which is used to treat hepatitis, multiple sclerosis and malignant skin cancer.

The experiment was carried out by researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Technology and Industrial Science (AIST) in Osaka City and the National Agricultural Research Organization (Ibaraki Prefecture) in collaboration with Cosmo Bio Pharmaceutical Company ( Tokyo) done.

The future of laying eggs with eggs available for cancer treatment is not far away - (Photo: AFP).

The team published in a report that genetically modified hens are now available every 1 to 2 days to produce a batch of eggs containing Interferon.

Currently, if given this protein three times a week, the patient's body may prevent cancer cells from growing. Interferon also helps to increase T cells in the patient's immune system to "fight" back cancer tumors.

However, this treatment is currently extremely expensive: it takes $ 250-900 to produce only a few micrograms of this protein , according to Newsweek.

Therefore, the creation of "Interferon chicken eggs" is considered a breakthrough. "We hope this test result will lead to the development of cheap drugs," Hironobu Hojo of Osaka University told Japan News.

"In the future, the properties of substances in eggs should be thoroughly examined and their safety level assessed according to pharmaceutical standards".

Scientists hope the new technique could be applied early next year to create a new cancer drug at half the price of normal. The group's bigger ambition is that drug prices will drop by 10% compared to the current level.

However, this process may be slower, as the law in Japan requires that the egg be tested if it is to be recognized as a pharmaceutical product.