“It is not more expensive to use NTS than to use commercial providers. We are located at KPM-UiO, so you receive local follow-up. You also avoid the costs and effort of transporting mice produced elsewhere if you use us,” says professor and managing director Knut Tomas Dalen at the Norwegian Transgenic Center (NTS).
The center receives financial support from Helse Sør-Øst, and the costs of using the center are the same for researchers at UiO and OUS. Their services are also available to external researchers, at an additional cost, the professor explains.
Believes more research groups should use transgenic mice
NTS works on around 40 projects a year. The professor invites researchers to get in touch, and encourages more Norwegian research groups to make use of transgenic mice in their research, as is common abroad.
“The reasons why transgenic mice are not used more in Norway are probably complex, but some of it is likely due to conditions attached to research funding,” he believes.
“In Norway, researchers to a greater extent have to document human relevance in order to be allowed to study biological mechanisms in an animal model. Researchers abroad are more inclined to think that it is sensible to test a hypothesis in mice first, as this approach is much cheaper and faster,” says Dalen.
The professor emphasises that transgenic mice can be used regardless of medical or biological research field, and that one can create new lines or use established ones.
Creating new models by altering genes
At NTS, genetic manipulation is carried out directly in newly fertilised mouse embryos. New genes can be inserted – a so-called transgenic model. Mutations can be generated in a selected gene so that the gene no longer functions normally. The mutation can completely disrupt the gene – a so-called knockout. Or smaller changes can be introduced – a so-called point mutation – which alter the properties of the protein produced from the gene.
“The latter can be used to study the biological effects of different gene variants found in humans and to relate these to disease in a patient,” Dalen points out.
Since 2014, NTS has been able to offer genetic modification using CRISPR–Cas9, which makes it quick to generate new genetically altered models.
Services related to the maintenance of transgenic lines
The center also provides a range of services related to the use of genetically modified animals in research.
“We often perform cryopreservation of embryos,” says Dalen. “These are safely stored in our established biobank for transgenic models.”
The professor says that the biobank they have built up with mouse embryos and mouse sperm is unique in Norway, and that no corresponding biobank exists at any of the other Norwegian universities.
If a researcher wishes to import a transgenic model with undocumented or unsatisfactory health status, the center offers rederivation, which will remove any pathogens.
“We also assist with the collection of oocytes and embryos at various developmental stages. In addition, we have expertise in various types of manipulation of mouse embryos at the pre-implantation stage,” he says.
The center is also responsible for advanced infrastructure for metabolic phenotyping.
Dalen notes that the center’s engineers can assist with performing metabolic phenotyping of researchers’ mouse models.
Provides advice on breeding and DNA analysis
Dalen says that they can advise on strategies for breeding and DNA analysis, i.e. genotyping. The center performs genotyping for a number of research groups, and this frees up technician time for them, he emphasises.
“We have also established a range of associated molecular biology techniques, and we are also interested in developing new ones together with collaborators,” says Dalen.
Work on mice can start early in the process
The professor explains that NTS holds a general FOTS approval from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, which allows the center to generate genetically modified mice on behalf of clients.
“The center can therefore start work on generating a new mouse model before the client’s own FOTS application has been finally approved. But we prefer that the FOTS application to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority for the use of the model has been submitted, so that it is in place when the new model is ready,” Dalen explains.
“In any case, the FOTS application describing the experiments must be approved before the animals can be transferred to the client and used in research projects.”
More information on NTS website.