ANAT2341 Lab 4 2013

Mouse Models of Human Genetic Disease

This page is under development July 2013

Objectives of this laboratory

1. Short answer/multiple choice test of last week's lecture material ('early vascular development' and 'development of the placenta')
2. Tutorial on the technologies available to researchers to study gene function in mice.
3. Provide time for groupwork and allow groups to ask questions of lecturing staff.

Tutorial

In the tutorial I will explain why and how researchers are using the mouse as a model for human genetic disease. I will give an overview about the various methods to study gene and protein expression in the developing mouse embryo, and how researchers manipulate gene function in mice in vivo. This tutorial will greatly facilitate your understanding of the research articles that you will read for your group projects. A PDF file with the powerpoint show can be found here: File:ANAT2341 - Lab 4 - Mouse Models of Human Disease.pdf

Why do researchers use the mouse as a model system for human disease?

1. Small, cheap to house and feed, breed quickly.
2. Embryology resembles that of humans.
3. Genetically similar to humans.
4. Fully sequenced genome.
5. Amenable to genetic manipulation.