Colony Management Solutions INSIGHTS

Vision researchers are very familiar with several mutations which can affect sight in mice. Chang et al. cataloged 16 separate mutations causing retinal degeneration. Two of the better known mutations are Pde6brd1 (commonly called rd1) and Crb1rd8 (commonly called rd8). The rd1 mutation is present in a number of inbred strains, such as FVB and SJL, and causes blindness by weaning age. The rd8 mutation is present...

Many research investigators are faced with a decision: should they buy laboratory rodents from a commercial vendor, or produce them with an in-house breeding colony? There are many factors to evaluate before the decision to "breed or buy" can be made. Following are a few questions and considerations that must be addressed before an informed decision can be made: Are the rodents available from a commercial vendor?...

Over the last two decades, the pharmaceutical industry has faced increasing challenges: declining R&D productivity, rising costs, competition from generics, greater regulatory complexity, and changing expectations of patient-centered healthcare. In response to these pressures, many companies are transforming the way in which medicines are discovered, developed, and brought to market. Two key trends are emerging: The proliferation of digital biotechs The externalization of drug development Contract Research...

Use of genetically engineered rodent models in research requires the lines to be maintained in continuous breeding, which is costly, labor intensive, and takes up limited vivarium space. Also when such colonies are the sole source of the model, there is risk of losing the line altogether to unanticipated death, disease, infertility, genetic drift, or microbial contamination. Effective use of cryopreservation allows researchers to better utilize financial...

"It's just breeding... right?" You may want to carry out large cohort studies within the next 4-6 months, or to quickly recover a cryopreserved line from your collaborator to cross with your own knockout line. How difficult can it be? The temptation of getting there fast may make you plunge into a new project right away. But early missteps in colony management can surface months into a...

Have you ever had a mouse infestation in your house? This is a pesky problem that can prove difficult to resolve. After all, they breed like... well, mice. So why is it so difficult to breed laboratory mice? Laboratory mice are purpose-bred for specific phenotypes or traits, not to optimize litter size. Quite often, fecundity is sacrificed to attain traits desired for laboratory mouse studies, or breeding...

Taconic Biosciences has recently added an additional 75 mouse models to the GEM Collection Repository. The GEM Collection's nearly 300 lines provide academic and nonprofit researchers worldwide with unparalleled access to a wide range of genetically engineered mouse models. These mouse models are relevant to several disease areas, such as cardiovascular, diabetes/ endocrinology, neuroscience, oncology, respiratory, and immunology. The GEM Collection repository offers nonprofit researchers immediate access...

Taconic Biosciences has recently added an additional 19 mouse models to the Knockout Repository (KOR). The KOR's more than 4,100 lines provide academic and commercial researchers worldwide with unparalleled access to fully licensed knockout mouse models. This repository offers the scientific community immediate access to expertly designed, highly valuable research tools that rapidly accelerate translational research and the drug discovery and development processes. Mutations are focused on...

The Taconic Biosciences Knockout Mouse Repository's more than 4,100 lines provide academic and commercial researchers worldwide with unparalleled access to fully licensed knockout mouse models. This repository offers the scientific community immediate access to expertly derived, highly valuable research tools that rapidly accelerate translational research and the drug discovery and development processes. Eliminating the time associated with the design and development of these mouse models provides a...

Taconic Biosciences introduced two new B6 albino models in late 2012 and early 2013. The B6 Albino A++ (model 11227) and the B6 Albino (model 11971) were generated at Taconic’s Cologne, Germany, site via gene targeting technology. These models represent the first albino B6 models available on the C57BL/6NTac (Taconic B6) background. We all know that the B6 strain is black…so why would you want an albino...