December 1, 2005

The NIH has recently stepped up its efforts to increase the number of genetically modified mice available to the research community.  In October, the NIH announced the purchase of 251 knockout mouse lines from two companies, Lexicon Genetics and Deltagen.  Since these strains have not been publicly available until now, they represent a significant gain for the scientific community.  Not only will the cost be minimal, but most of the strains have also been characterized extensively, thereby accelerating efforts to understand gene function and increasing the interest level among researchers.  The mutant mouse lines will be archived and made available to the public via three NIH-funded repositories, The Jackson Laboratory and two of the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRCs) located at UC-Davis and here at UNC-Chapel Hill.  “These and other such repositories provide an important vehicle for maximizing the utility of mutant mice by reducing the cost and effort for individual researchers,” states Terry Magnuson, program director of the MMRRC at UNC.  The acquisition of these 251 strains is just the beginning of NIH’s ambitious, long-term goal of creating a comprehensive resource for the scientific community containing knockouts in all ~22,000 mouse genes.

For more information on the Knockout Mouse Project, see KOMP website.