Mice

Why do we use mice? Over eight out of ten animals used in research at Cambridge are mice. Their short life span and fast reproductive rate make it possible to investigate biological processes in many areas, at all stages of the life cycle. The mouse makes an excellent model for human disease because the organisation of their DNA and their gene expression is similar to humans, with ninety-eight percent of human genes having a comparable gene in the mouse. They have similar reproductive and nervous systems to humans, and suffer from many of the same diseases such as obesity, cancer and diabetes. It is possible to manipulate the DNA of mice either through cross-breeding or using techniques that 'knock out' certain genes, or edit their genes using recently-developed CRISPR-Cas techniques. This enables us to study novel genes of interest in the specific areas of the body without the need for generating new GM mice, which will dramatically reduce the number of animals needed to perform research.  Manipulating their genes can lead the mice to develop other diseases that do not naturally affect them.