Transgenic and Targeted Mutant Mice : The Induced Mutant Resource

Genetically engineered strains of mice (mice altered by gene transfer (transgenics), homologous recombination (gene targeting), and chemical mutagenesis) provide powerful new tools for biomedical research. The use of these strains has become important and critical for basic research and for investigating the cause and treatment of human disease. The rapid generation of these strains has created the need for a central facility to collect and distribute them to the scientific community.

The function of the IMR is to:

  • select biomedically important stocks of transgenic, chemically induced, and targeted mutant mice
  • import these stocks into the Jackson Laboratory by rederivation procedures that rid them of any pathogens they might carry
  • cryopreserve embryos from these stocks to protect them against accidental loss and genetic contamination
  • backcross the mutation onto an inbred strain, if necessary
  • distribute them to the scientific community