Chicken eggs and cancer medicine seem to have nothing in common, but scientists have combined the two through one incredible feat of genetic engineering. According to CNN, an abundance of diseases occur due to a lack of chemicals and proteins in the body. By adding human genes to the DNA sequence used when producing eggs, the egg white then contains the chemicals and proteins humans need to maintain health. The combination of three egg whites contains enough of the proteins required for a single dose.

The researchers are focusing their efforts on two main proteins: INFalpha2a, which is common in cancer medications, and macrophage-CSF, which helps tissue repair itself. The results of the research are positive thus far, and scientists are hopeful that the eggs can be used in medicines within the next two decades. The major outcome of the research is the cost reduction: in her interview with BBC, Dr. Lissa Herron, one of the scientists conducting the experiment, explains that “production from chickens can cost anywhere from 10 to 100 times less than the [pharmacological] factories,” which will lower the cost of the medicine for the patients.

By – Amira Pierotti