Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine Receives Second Installation of OmniBank(R) II Mouse Gene Knockout Library.More than 200,000 C57BL/6 Knockout Mouse knock·out mouse n. A transgenic mouse that has been genetically engineered to exhibit mutations in specific genes. Embryonic Stem Cell Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent. Clones Now Available to Supply Researchers with Knockout Mice HOUSTON -- The Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine The Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine (TIGM) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit institute founded in 2005 under a $50 million award from the Texas Enterprise Fund to pioneer the development of life-changing medical breakthroughs, accelerate the pace of medical discoveries (TIGM TIGM Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine ) announced today that the second installation of its OmniBank II library of knockout mouse embryonic stem cell clones has been completed by Lexicon Genetics Incorporated (Nasdaq:LEXG). The second installation contains more than 100,000 clones, bringing the total number of clones to more than 200,000 contained in TIGM's OmniBank II library. Each clone represents an embryonic stem cell line generated in the C57BL/6 mouse genetic background in which a single gene has been disrupted, or knocked out. More than 8,200 distinct genes are currently included in the library and can be accessed by researchers worldwide as breeding pairs of knockout mice. TIGM's OmniBank II library is now expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2007, well ahead of schedule. When complete, the library will be comprised of 350,000 mouse embryonic stem cell clones. The library is located at TIGM's facilities in Houston's Texas Medical Center. Construction is underway of new facilities in College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in Central Texas. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near to three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San , to house one copy of the library and mouse breeding facilities, with completion expected in the third quarter of 2007. "In less than 18 months, the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine has amassed a huge resource of knockout mice for use in therapeutic discovery by researchers worldwide," said Richard H. Finnell, Ph.D., executive director and president of the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine. "The cell lines in our OmniBank II library have been engineered to enable researchers to study the involvement of specific genes in a wide variety of diseases and conditions. We believe the research potential of OmniBank II will prove to be very important in the advancement of human and veterinary health." Through TIGM's agreement with Lexicon, the Institute can also generate and distribute knockout mice to academic researchers from Lexicon's original OmniBank library of 270,000 mouse embryonic stem cell lines in the 129SvEv genetic background. Researchers interested in obtaining knockout mice generated from either OmniBank and OmniBank II mouse embryonic stem cell clones should contact the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine at www.tigm.org. About the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine (TIGM) TIGM is a not-for-profit institution created in 2005 to pioneer the development of life-changing medical breakthroughs, accelerate the pace of medical discoveries and to foster the development of the biotechnology industry in Texas. To that end, TIGM helps researchers gain faster, more cost-effective access to the genetically engineered genetically engineered adjective Recombinant, see there knockout mice they need to help speed research to find the cure for human diseases and conditions. TIGM owns and maintains the world's largest catalogues of embryonic stem cells for C57BL/6 mice in the world. In addition, TIGM has contracted access to the world's largest catalog of genetically modified genetically modified Adjective (of an organism) having DNA which has been altered for the purpose of improvement or correction of defects genetically modified genetic adj [food etc] → 129 mouse cells, with more than 272,000 stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. clones available. The Institute headquarters and laboratory facilities are based in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas “Houston” redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation). Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the , with additional facilities currently under construction in College Station, Texas. OmniBank([R]) is a registered trademark of Lexicon Genetics Incorporated. |
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