University of Copenhagen

Analyses of defined mutations in specific genes are crucial to understanding the in vivo function of molecules expressed during development, in cell and tissue maintenance and repair processes, and in various diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, or viral infection.

Genetically modified mice are of tremendous importance in basic and clinical research and are the model of choice for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying specific human diseases. Clinical studies currently performed with human patients may eventually be replaced by mouse models that express the same genetic alterations as found in human patients or by "humanized" mouse models wherein mouse genes are exchanged with human genes. Even complex diseases affected by many genes can be dissected by defined molecular alterations in vivo, refining previous investigations that used pharmacological approaches to induce disease in normal mice. In addition, use of highly specific mouse models reduces time and the number of animals required to obtain disease-relevant results.

Services available at the transgenic mouse facility include:

• Rederivation of mouse strains by embryo transfer
• Generation of genetically modified mice
• Embryo freezing