Humanized mouse

Humanized Mouse

A Humanized Mouse is a laboratory mouse that has been genetically engineered to carry human genes, cells, tissues, and/or organs. These mice are used as models for human diseases in biomedical research, particularly for diseases that are difficult to study in humans directly.

History

The concept of the humanized mouse was first introduced in the late 1980s, with the development of the SCID mouse. This mouse, which lacks a functional immune system, was the first to be successfully engrafted with human cells. Since then, various types of humanized mice have been developed, each with different human components and used for different research purposes.

Types of Humanized Mice

There are several types of humanized mice, each designed to model different aspects of human biology or disease. These include:

• Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mice: These mice are engrafted with human hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to various types of blood cells. They are used to study human immune responses and hematopoiesis.

• Tumor xenograft mice: These mice are implanted with human tumor cells or tissues, allowing researchers to study human cancer in a living organism.

• Genetically modified mice: These mice carry human genes that have been inserted into their own genome. They are used to study the function of specific human genes and their role in disease.

Applications

Humanized mice have a wide range of applications in biomedical research. They are used to study human diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and genetic disorders. They are also used in drug development, allowing researchers to test new drugs in a living organism before they are tested in humans.

Limitations

While humanized mice have greatly advanced our understanding of human biology and disease, they are not without limitations. The most significant of these is that they are still mice, not humans, and therefore may not perfectly model human disease. Additionally, the process of humanizing a mouse is complex and can result in variability between individual mice.

See Also

• Animal testing
• Genetically modified organism
• Transgenic organisms