The Mouse Genetic Engineering Facility (MGEF) provides services to generate, cryopreserve, and recover transgenic mice for modeling human disease. The MGEF is fully equipped to make genetically engineered mice and is staffed with skilled personnel with decades of transgenic experience. Contact Bill Shawlot to discuss your specific needs.
Mouse Model Generation
CRISPR Gene Editing
The MGEF has generated dozens of new mouse models with engineered indels, deletions, point mutations, and conditional alleles using CRISPR/Cas9.
CRISPR services include:
- Project consultation to discuss best approaches and considerations
- Allele design
- CRISPR reagent preparation and gRNA testing in mouse embryos
- Embryo microinjection
- Screening of founder mice
- Breeding of founders to test for germline transmission
- Sequencing of N1 heterozygous animals to verify correct gene editing
- Development of an automated genotyping assay in conjunction with Transnetyx
Mouse Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells and Conditional Knockout Mice
The MGEF has extensive experience culturing C57BL/6N ES cell clones from the International Knockout Mouse Project repositories and generating tissue-specific knockout mice by blastocyst injection. The MGEF can also carry out gene targeting in 129 strain and 129/B6 hybrid mouse ES cells.
Cryopreservation and Recovery
The MGEF provides services for both sperm and embryo cryopreservation. Sperm cryopreservation is usually the preferred option as it is quick and efficient and requires only two proven breeder male mice. Embryo cryopreservation requires significantly more mice but is preferred when the mouse line is on a non-standard genetic background or when multiple alleles need to be maintained.
Cryo-related services include:
- Sperm and embryo cryopreservation
- Embryo cryo recovery
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) to recover strains from repositories and other Universities
- Rederivation to SPF status
- Assistance with shipping and receiving cryopreserved materials