Rodents

A major area of rodent model development that has resulted from the revolution brought to biology by molecular genetics is the creation of mice that are lacking a specific gene (called knock outs) or that have extra copies of such a gene (called knock ins). By deleting or adding genes it is possible to observe the effects of that gene very specifically. While the results of these manipulations have not always been as clear-cut as expected, this research approach offers a significant increase in the precision of genetic manipulation. These and other genetic manipulations result in what are commonly called designer mice and rats and as such represent the cutting edge of current animal model development.