A company from our own backyard, St. Louis-based Sigma-Aldrich, is about to utilize a brigade of genetically modified rats to wage war against a dominant and more numerous army of genetically modified mice. Seriously...
For years, mice have reigned over the world of mammal models of genetic modification. That is, it's comparatively easy to create knock-out mice with precisely controlled genetic traits using embryonic stem cells. However, rats are better human models of many diseases than are mice. So Sigma-Aldrich, with the help of the Medical College of Wisconsin, developed a method of targeting specific genes for removal using a zinc finger nuclease. Rather than using embryonic stem cells, which can be finicky to say the least, the DNA nuclease is introduced to the fertilized rat egg, where it clips particular sequences from the genome. And Voila! You've got yourself a knock-out rat. Sigma plans to have off-the-shelf rats with modifications that are popular among current researchers, as well as custom, made-to-order rats.
If business takes off, Sigma-Aldrich, who already has a strangle-hold on the laboratory chemical reagent market, could become a major player in the laboratory animal trade. This could be a great asset to the economy of St. Louis and the State of Missouri. The area is already transforming, step-by-step, into a legitimate biotechnology hub, but the Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering Lab with their legions of genetically modified rats could be more like a running charge, complete with screams of nonsensical drivel, to position St. Louis at the forefront of the biotech industry.
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