Mouse Models: Genetics Breeding and Experimental Business

This popular course provides essential training in designing, undertaking analysis and reporting experiments using mice.

The content has continually evolved to meet the requirements of the mouse research community. The focus this year will be on experimental design to maximise animal welfare and the application of the 3Rs.

Applications are invited from research and scientific staff who coordinate experimental work on genetically altered mouse lines, including the maintenance of mouse colonies. Applicants should ideally have degree-standard knowledge of genetics, or equivalent.

Topics will include:
Overview of mouse genetics and strains
Gene and strain nomenclature
Aspects of good colony management
Breeding strategies for maintaining inbred, outbred and genetically altered lines
Establishing and maintaining transgenic lines and gene targeted lines
Conditional and inducible transgenesis
CRISPR/Cas9 and emerging technologies for generating GA colonies
Genotyping
Quality control strategies for mouse lines
Workshops on designing breeding programs
Cryopreservation
Electronic tools for colony management
Pilot experiments
Experimental design:
Randomisation and blinding
The experimental unit
Calculating experimental numbers
The 3Is
Ethics and the 3Rs
Experimental controls
Statistical analysis
Standardisation and variability: effects of the environment, time and health status on experimental results

Application Deadline: 8 April 2016

Sponsored by Tecniplast.

Speakers: Ian Jackson (University of Edinburgh, UK), James Bussell (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Neil Dear (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Australia), Sara Wells (Medical Research Council, UK), Patrick Bateson (University of Cambridge, UK), Ben Davies (University of Oxford, UK), Martin Fray MRC-Harwell, UK), Andy Greenfield (Medical Research Council, UK), Elliot Lilley (RSPCA, UK), Terry Meehan (EBI, UK), Ed Ryder (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Lydia Teboul (MRC-Harwell, UK)

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