Mice for sale

This year, new inhabitants have appeared in the Charles River mouse nursery - the so—called oncomysh. Soon there will be several hundred genetically identical individuals. These animals, which are the product of genetic engineering, jumped out of scientific laboratories onto the front pages of newspapers across the country last spring when the U.S. Patent and Commerce Office granted Harvard University the first patent for a transgenic animal. This line of mice has an innate predisposition to develop cancer as a result of the fact that the corresponding gene is inserted into the genome. Scientists expect that with the help of such animals it will be possible to test new cancer treatment methods and, since they represent the best model of the disease, this will reduce the consumption of laboratory animals.

The new line was received by the staff of Harvard University F. Leder and T. Stewart. They introduced the oncogene into a mouse embryo shortly after conception. Leder carried out his research mainly at the expense of the Du Pont company (which previously dealt with chemicals), so it owns the commercial rights to the results of his work. However, according to Du Pont employee A. Forman, who is a manager for the production of cancer mice, the company's management did not expect that a "patented" animal would be bred as a result of the contract with scientists. "When I learned about the patent, I immediately wondered: how to make a business out of it?" he recalls.

About six months have passed, and serious trade deals have convinced the Du Pont administration that oncomysh fit perfectly into the company's specialization. Said and done. Four such animals were taken from Leder's laboratory and started breeding them. As Foreman said, "Leder does, we benefit."

Du Pont started with heterozygous individuals (i.e., those whose genome contains one copy of the oncogene) and, crossing them, created a "breeding herd" of proven homozygous animals carrying two copies of this gene. In January of last year, Charles River started working hard. Animals for sale are produced by crossing males of the inbred line of homozygous cancer mice with females of normal mice of the inbred line. Inbreeding results in genetically identical heterozygous offspring. The animals are kept in a sterile room, the conditions of which are controlled by an automated system. In case this line spontaneously mutates, a number of lines are "preserved": the corresponding embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen. Mice are transported by cars in special chambers in which certain conditions are maintained.

Du Pont will initially supply oncomys to non-profit research groups and universities at a price of approximately $50 per individual (with a discount when purchasing large batches). In terms of price, oncomuscles are competitive with other special lines of mice, while ordinary animals are much cheaper — up to $ 1 per individual.

Of course, Forman notes, nothing prevents research laboratories from breeding cancer mice themselves. But although Du Pont considered the possibility of selling animals of only one sex or sterilized in order to protect their patent rights, in the end it was decided to rely on honesty and on the fact that very often in research it is necessary to be sure of the genetic uniformity of the animals used.

Since the patent applies to all possible transgenic mammals (except humans) with oncogenes, and there are about 40 such genes known, Forman believes that transgenic mice are just the beginning of this line of Du Pont's activity. The company plans to contact researchers who have received their own cancer mice, on the one hand, in order to require them to pay a license fee, and on the other hand, to offer them cooperation in the production of transgenic animals. Anyway, Du Pont does not intend to put a stick in the wheels of scientists, Foreman said. Players who enjoy exploring different online casino platforms can visit gambling resource Amazon Slots official website to learn more about the games and features on offer. It is still important to approach any slot or casino site with a clear budget and an understanding of the odds before playing.