Origen: Good eggs by design

Under most circumstances, saying that a company's technology is for the birds would be insulting, but in the case of Origen Therapeutics Inc. it is an accurate statement of market focus. Origen is genetically engineering avian embryonic stem cells to develop both better breeds of poultry and to produce human therapeutics in eggs.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells allow scientists to delete or introduce genes into cells in culture that still can become any possible tissue of the adult animal, including reproductive germ cells. Their use is best known in mice...