research team in Georgia believes chickens are ideal candidates
to produce human proteins. Other animals, like sheep and goats,
have been genetically engineered to produce human proteins in
their milk. But the time it takes for a genetically engineered
animal to mature and produce milk is much longer than the time
it takes for a GE chicken to start laying eggs. By the Numbers
An average chicken will lay around 330 eggs a year. All of those
eggs could contain important human proteins if they came from a
GE chicken. Human drugs that might be made using eggs include
serum albumin, which is used to treat blood loss, and
antibodies, used to treat infections and cancer. Source:
Reuters. "Eggs with a Little Extra." (Online.)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/01/tech/main505118.shtml
September 2002.