Mouse as a model for human disease

Abstract

Precisely targeted genetic manipulation of the laboratory mouse has been one of the most significant achievements in the field of modeling human genetic diseases. The availability of an ever-increasing number of mutants, and the ability of generating ever-more complex manipulations beyond the simple gene knockout, offer unprecedented possibilities for genetic experiments addressing complex questions. Thus, the mouse is getting closer and closer to the most powerful genetic models such as Drosophila. This chapter provides a view of the commonly used or most promising approaches to modeling genetic disease in the mouse. It also provides a discussion on which approach is more suited to modeling different types of mutations.