Development of applications of CSF-1 and IL34 in livestock

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Macrophages are large white blood cells that are the first line of defense against pathogens, but also contribute to much of the pathology of infectious and inflammatory disease. Macrophages are also the body's cellular waste disposal system, are needed for wound healing and for many aspects of normal development. Our hypothesis is that two growth factors, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1) and interleukin 34 (IL34) act through a common receptor (the CSF-1 receptor) to promote the production, migration and function of macrophages, and in turn, the macrophages are needed for the normal process of organ formation and overall growth in the embryo as well as maturation of the immune system. To utilise these proteins in livestock, we need to reduce the cost of manufacture to a level where they can be cost-effective. Although the cost of production is less crucial for proteins that could be used in human therapy, it is nevertheless a substantial restraint on the application of products like G-CSF and interferon. In this project, we aim to use transgenic chickens to produce the chicken and pig CSF-1 and IL34 proteins in egg white. The approach is harmless to the birds, because we have a technology in which the proteins are synthesised as a component of egg white, in the oviduct of laying hens. To move towards applying the technology, we need to establish practical ways of recovering the expressed proteins from eggs on a large scale. Assuming we are successful, we will then be in a position to test whether the CSF-1 and IL34 proteins are effective in large animals, and to apply the technology to other important therapeutic molecules.