You are here
Media Advisory
Monday, October 23, 2006
Mouse DNA to Aid Biomedical Research
Will Help Discover Why Some People Are Susceptible to Certain Diseases.
Researchers have successfully sequenced the DNA of 15 mouse strains most commonly used in biomedical research. More than 8.3 million genetic variations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were discovered among the genomes of the 15 mouse strains, and the data are now available on a public website. These new data on laboratory mice will help researchers better understand what makes some individuals more susceptible than others to certain diseases, and will serve as a valuable resource as researchers determine the role that various environmental substances may play in the development of disease.
The “Resequencing and SNP Discovery Project” led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, and its National Toxicology Program, began less than two years ago with a $13 million budget. The work was completed by Perlegen Sciences, Inc. and the data are available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SNP.
Who
David A. Schwartz, M.D., Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program
Kelly Frazer, Ph.D., Vice President of Genomics Perlegen Sciences, Inc.
David Threadgill, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Genetics University of North Carolina
David Christiani, M.D., Professor of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
What
Teleconference with NIEHS Director and leading scientific experts
When
Wednesday, October 25, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Where
Teleconference call, to dial in call: 877-707-9631
International Reporters, call 785-832-0301
Password: NIEHS
Reporters please call Robin Mackar, 919-541-0073, to reserve your phone line or for further assistance.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®