The National Laboratory Animal Center has developed the world’s first technological platform for producing genetically engineered laboratory rats with genes that can be regulated and controlled, center researchers said Oct. 20.
The breakthrough is expected to assist in the study of a wide variety of human diseases and in the development of new drugs to treat these maladies.
Using the platform, NLAC researchers are able to manipulate gene fragments transferred to the lab rats by switching the fragments on and off to affect transformations in the rodents, for instance changing their color from fluorescent red to fluorescent green.
The researchers can then monitor the expression of particular genes by way of variations in the position and brightness of the fluorescent colors.
NLAC researcher Wang Chi-kuang said the ability to switch gene fragments on and off at any time and at any position and to regulate gene expression will allow for better simulation of the processes of human diseases in model lab rats. Also, researchers will be able to screen the effectiveness of drugs through observations of color changes in these genetically modified rats.
According to the center, research on transgenic mice has greatly improved over the years. The development of transgenic rats, on the other hand, has encountered more obstacles due to the sensitivity of rats’ eggs to in vitro experiment, researchers said.
Simon Liang, director-general of the center, said in the future, the new platform will be used in gene marking and gene tracking in efforts to develop treatments and cures for such ailments as diabetes and osteoporosis as well as neurodegenerative disorders.
The center said it would be able to supply custom-made rats with gene fragments of particular diseases to researchers at home and abroad to facilitate drug development and research in translational medicine. (SB)