Rats or mice for research? - (Jul/29/2008 )
Hello everyone,
Whilst rats and mice may be classified differently (Mus and Rattus), are there criteria in choosing which of the two for research?
Another question is, what do the codes meant? E.g. "C57BL/6 mice" Is it phenotype or genotype of the mouse? Could anyone provide me the info into the nomenclature of these strains?
Thank you very much.
Edit: Read that there're similarities between mice, rats and we humans but who is closer (in terms of physiology and disease)? Rats are normally used for psychological studies.
Mice breed faster than rats. Many transgenic available.
No idea why the name. Try googling.
Whilst rats and mice may be classified differently (Mus and Rattus), are there criteria in choosing which of the two for research?
Another question is, what do the codes meant? E.g. "C57BL/6 mice" Is it phenotype or genotype of the mouse? Could anyone provide me the info into the nomenclature of these strains?
Thank you very much.
Edit: Read that there're similarities between mice, rats and we humans but who is closer (in terms of physiology and disease)? Rats are normally used for psychological studies.
It is disease model specific, rather a general statement. For some models both species work, while others only work on rats and vice versa. if you need to do physiology studies, rats are easier to work with. Mouse models consume less drugs than rat models, they are also cheaper to buy and house. Lastly, you have the benefit of accessing already made transgenic models or even create your own.
C57Bl/6 is a strain of mice due to its genetic background.
oh and you can make transgenic mice more easily then rats. You can culture mouse stem cells rather easily for some reason.
Thanks for the replies guys. Am clearer now. Have a nice day.
Whilst rats and mice may be classified differently (Mus and Rattus), are there criteria in choosing which of the two for research?
Another question is, what do the codes meant? E.g. "C57BL/6 mice" Is it phenotype or genotype of the mouse? Could anyone provide me the info into the nomenclature of these strains?
Thank you very much.
Edit: Read that there're similarities between mice, rats and we humans but who is closer (in terms of physiology and disease)? Rats are normally used for psychological studies.
Another quick point - don't reinvent the wheel if you don't have to. If there is an established model out there for your disease of choice or the relevant aspect of your disease of choice, then use it. Establishing a new model in the field can be satisfying, especially if it takes off in popularity, but it would seem to require a lot of characterization to convince the field it is relevant.
Good luck!
SK
Hello everyone,
I am a PhD student in National University of Malaysia.
Please I need an urgent help on how I can get cheap NUDE mice for lung cancer in vivo studies from Malaysia. Here in Malaysia NUDE mice are not sold and we have to buy them from Charles River Laboratory which is quite expensive. It will cost us $54 for each mouse and this price is quite high.
So I would like suggestions on how I can get these mice with reasonable price.
Someone has suggested that I contact some of the people using NUDE mice in their laboratories. Is that a viable option and how do I go about it.
Thank you very much for your support.
Danjuma.
I am a PhD student in National University of Malaysia.
Please I need an urgent help on how I can get cheap NUDE mice for lung cancer in vivo studies from Malaysia. Here in Malaysia NUDE mice are not sold and we have to buy them from Charles River Laboratory which is quite expensive. It will cost us $54 for each mouse and this price is quite high.
So I would like suggestions on how I can get these mice with reasonable price.
Someone has suggested that I contact some of the people using NUDE mice in their laboratories. Is that a viable option and how do I go about it.
Thank you very much for your support.
Danjuma.
do you have adequate facilities and expertise to establish a breeding program (short or long term, as you need)?
if so, then bite the bullet and purchase a couple of males and females and start breeding the animals that you require. you will also have control of the age of your subjects.
if not, it may not be easy to get mice from a lab through customs so you may have to stay within your country for sharing.