The next step in the fight against cancer may just be for the birds. A UK-based lab has just announced the development of a genetically modified chicken, which now lays eggs containing proteins needed for cancer-fighting medicines.

The breakthrough was announced by The Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh - the same research facility responsible for Dolly the cloned sheep.

"The idea of producing the proteins involved in treatments in flocks of laying hens means they can produce in bulk, they can produce cheaply and indeed the raw material for this production system is quite literally chicken feed," said Professor Harry Griffin, director of the institute, in light of the normally high cost of cancer medicines.

Using a total of 500 genetically modified birds, the research team had engineered the fowl to lay eggs laced with complex proteins like miR24 and human interferon b-1a. The former is used for treating malignant melanoma (skin cancer), the latter used to prevent viruses from replicating in cells. The proteins are located in the egg white, which makes for easy extraction and refinement into usable drugs.

It is noted that there have already been similar uses of animals to farm complex proteins - such as the modifying of the milk given of by sheep, goats, cows and rabbits. What makes this research special is the sheer quantity of proteins that can be produced.

"Once you've made the transgenic birds, then it's very easy; once you've got the gene in, then you can breed up hundreds of birds from one cockerel - because they can be bred with hundreds of hens and you can collect an egg a day and have hundreds of chicks in no time," said Dr Helen Sang, leader of the this research project, who had been working on the project for 15 years.

Cancer cure hopefuls may have to wait longer before the medicine is released, however - the Roslin Institute says a further five years before they attempt human testing, with a further 10 years of waiting needed before the medicine is fully developed

For now, we simply wait for the day when a cancer cure is as simple as a nurse asking "Boiled, scrambled, fried or poached?" And perhaps a slice of toast...oh, wait...