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Article: Tinkering with rodents to probe heredity's mysteries. (transgenic mice)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- November 4, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Pink, hairless and slightly larger than jelly beans, the newborn mice all look alike. But 10 weeks later, a few are twice the size of their full-grown siblings. No ordinary rodents, these "transgenics" - part mouse, part man-are helping revolutionize the study of genetics and illness.
Deep within their cells, transgenic mice harbor an alien piece of DNA - in this case, the gene that produces human growth hormone. Transgenics are created by injecting a foreign gene into fertilized mouse eggs, a technique that is producing better animal models for illuminating dozens of illnesses and testing possible treatments. Says Richard Palmiter of the University of ...