Medical Science and JAX® Mice
JAX® NOTES Issue 508, Winter 2008
Congratulations to Nobel Prize Winners in Physiology and Medicine
Congratulations to Drs. Mario R. Capecchi, Sir Martin J. Evans, and Oliver Smithies on winning the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine. The prize recognizes their "discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells". The discoveries led to the development of gene targeting, a technology used to produce "knockout" mice. Since the first knockout mice were produced in 1989, over 500 different knockout mouse models of human disorders, including cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases, diabetes, and cancer have been produced.
Capecchi, Evans, and Smithies have used knockout mice in their own research. Capecchi used them to uncover the roles of genes involved in developing mammalian organs and establishing the body plan. Evans developed models for human diseases, including several for cystic fibrosis. Smithies developed models for cystic fibrosis, thalassemia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.
Hundreds of knockout mouse strains have been donated to The Jackson Laboratory. In fact, we maintain and distribute the largest collection of knockout mice in the world.
Congratulations to Winner of Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
Congratulations to Rockefeller University's Ralph Steinman PhD, winner of this year's Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. Dr. Steinman was honored for his discovery of and 35 years of research with dendritic cells, the cells that initiate and regulate our immune responses to foreign antigens.
Dr. Steinman discovered dendritic cells while examining a mouse spleen cell mixture known to induce T cells to divide in culture. He noticed that the mixture had a few irregularly-shaped cells floating among the others, alternately extending and retracting pseudopodial projections, giving them a dynamic star-like appearance. He dubbed the cells "dendritic", derived from the Greek word for tree. After discovering the cells, Steinman devised techniques for generating large numbers of them, fueling a worldwide boom in dendritic cell research that revolutionized our understanding of the immune response. Researchers worldwide are now exploring the possibilities of using dendritic cells to fight cancer, HIV, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and allergy. In all his research with mice, including his key discoveries in 1973‑83, Dr. Steinman used JAX® Mice (Steinman, pers. comm.)
Reference
Strauss E. 2007. Lasker Foundation press release.
