Of mice and models: improved animal models for biomedical research.

2002

The ability to engineer the mouse genome has profoundly transformed biomedical research. During the last decade, conventional transgenic and gene knockout technologies have become invaluable experimental tools for modeling genetic disorders, assigning functions to genes, evaluating drugs and toxins, and by and large helping to answer fundamental questions in basic and applied research. In addition, the growing demand for more sophisticated murine models has also become increasingly evident. Good state-of-principle knowledge about the enormous potential of second-generation conditional mouse technology will be beneficial for any researcher interested in using these experimental tools. In thi…

In Vitro Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells: Hematopoietic and Vascular Cell Types

2003

Publisher Summary Embryonic stem cells have been posited as sources of differentiated cell types for regenerative medicine. One of the most enticing cell types is the recently described endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) which can contribute to blood vessels and is a candidate for therapy against vascular diseases. This chapter describes an in vitro differentiation system, which results in the generation of endothelial, smooth muscle, and hematopoietic cells from ES cells. An ES-derived equivalent of the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) has been generated, a critical source of vascular and hematopoietic cells during embryonic development. This in vitro differentiation system is useful for the an…

Realistic attitude takes postdocs a long way

2002