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Engineered Hens Lay Cancer-Fighting Eggs

celardore writes "Hens that lay eggs containing cancer-fighting proteins have been developed in Scotland. While not themselves cancer-antagonistic, the proteins can be used to create drugs that have cancer-fighting potential. The hens are, in effect, factories for cancer drugs. It is still unknown whether the resulting drugs would work in practice, and clinical trials are 5 years off. This research was conducted by the Roslin Institute, the ones responsible responsible for Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal."

9 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. So which came first? by Timesprout · · Score: 3, Funny

    The protein or the cancer?

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  2. the question remains by macadamia_harold · · Score: 5, Funny

    The hens are, in effect, factories for cancer drugs. It is still unknown whether the resulting drugs would work in practice, and clinical trials are 5 years off.

    Clinical trials are 5 years off? What are they, chicken?

  3. I will not eat... by p0rnographer · · Score: 3, Funny

    green cancer fighting eggs and ham...

  4. Re:Responsible? by funfail · · Score: 3, Funny

    It is a cancer word that uncontrollably reproduces.

  5. Okay, no serious posts yet, so I'll bite by alshithead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This has the potential to be a great advance in medicine and science related to cancer. Those of you who are trying for funny or sarcastic posts...would you rather have an option other than dying if you were diagnosed with cancer? I know that some folks out there won't be happy due to manipulation of "God's creatures" but if my wife, parents, or me was diagnosed with cancer, I would want as many options available as possible. This really is a potentially huge step in fighting cancers. It is especially important when you consider how few options there are in fighting most types of cancer. Chemotherapy is a long shot most times and makes you sick as hell before you MIGHT get better. Surgery has many shortfalls besides being invasive. This could be a huge step in making cancer a problem with much better odds of beating.

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  6. This guy goes to a psychiatrist by iminplaya · · Score: 4, Funny

    and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs."

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    What?
  7. Re:Eggs? by Anonymous+McCartneyf · · Score: 3, Informative

    For one thing, it's easier to keep egg whites contained.
    You get a lot of egg white at once. Chickens lay lots of large eggs, and the ones allowed to grow up to be chickens lay lots more large eggs. Each egg contains more white than the average petri dish can hold.
    It's also simpler to feed a chicken than to feed a petri dish.

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  8. Who came first? by ubuwalker31 · · Score: 4, Funny

    A chicken and an egg were lying in bed, the chicken sitting back, leaning against the headboard with a big grin on his face.

    The egg, looking quite angry and disappointed, rolled out of bed and said, "well I guess we answered that question!".

  9. Re: KFC by tomhudson · · Score: 3, Funny

    Their importance as a medicinal source makes them much more valuable than just another KFC bucket.

    I'm still waiting for them to cross chickens with octopii ... everyone gets a drumstick.

    Chickens are better than cows. The furst words of the article summary:

    "Hens that lay eggs containing cancer-fighting proteins ...

    Somehow, I don't see cow eggs as being able to compete, either in quantity, or in ease of access, to hen eggs :-)