Taconic's ExpressMODEL® Random Integration Transgenic (RITg) Service is a novel and innovative solution that accelerates the timeline to results and mitigates the risks inherent to RITg model generation regarding project timeline and budget.
ExpressMODEL® Random Integration Transgenic Service
Our Innovative Approach
Custom model generation through pronuclear injection (PNI) to create random integration transgenics continues to be a favored path to quickly generate models that express an ectopic gene and pass the trait onto their offspring. However, as genomic integration sites and copy number of the transgene are random events in every injected embryo, each resulting founder is unique. Therefore, the common practice is to propagate each founder separately, and generate offspring that undergo extensive transgene expression analyses. These data are then used to determine the founder lines that are most suited for the study program. The cost and time invested in downstream breeding and characterization of multiple RITg lines can heavily outweigh the original cost to generate the model.
In the ExpressMODEL® RITg service, transgene analyses are performed in the founder animals, taking guesswork out of the process and allowing you to avoid the cost of breeding and characterizing multiple founder lines. Moreover, it reduces project timeline by at least 12 weeks and potentially up to 24 weeks or more. In addition, if the founder analyses reveal that none of the founders are suitable for studies, you can decide early on in the project to perform additional injections and generate more founders, thereby mitigating the risk of major program delays, while reducing overall costs. Therefore, the ExpressMODEL® RITg Service accelerates the timeline to results and mitigates the risks inherent to random integration transgenic model generation, both in terms of project timeline and budget.
Importantly, founder animals produced within an RITg project can be mosaic, and this should be considered during the analysis phase as it has the potential to complicate results and the downstream decision process if encountered.
ExpressMODEL® RITg Platform
Obtain results at least 3 months faster than through traditional approaches.
How Does the ExpressMODEL® RITg Service Accelerate Timeline to Results?
ExpressMODEL® RITg Service mitigates risks to project timeline and budget by providing the opportunity for transgene analyses in founder animals. In essence, sperm from founder animals is collected and subsequently analyzed to determine the presence of, and to estimate the copy number of the transgene by qPCR, in the sperm DNA. In addition, the fertilization rate is determined by calculating the percentage of oocytes developing to the two-cell stage after in vitro fertilization (IVF) followed by overnight culture. In addition, tissues of interest are harvested, and transgene expression is measured by qPCR, allowing transgene expression data to be available at least 3 months sooner than through traditional approaches. Based on the data collected, the best founder sperm can be selected to generate a custom number of F1 transgene positive mice at the desired health standard, by IVF. This further accelerates the timeline to the generation of experimental cohorts.
Why ExpressMODEL® RITg Service?
- Reduce the timeline to transgene expression and fertility data by 3-5 months compared to the traditional approach of breeding founder animals and characterizing F1 offspring.
- Predictable and accelerated timelines through in vitro fertilization versus natural breeding.
- Customize the cohort size and produce it at the desired health standard to meet all of your research needs.
- Avoid the cost and time constraints of breeding and characterizing multiple founder lines.
- Compliance with the 3Rs by reducing surplus animals through pre-selection of founders.
- Mitigate the risks of major program delays by taking the decision early in the project to perform additional injections if the first founders analyzed are not suitable for line generation.
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