The mouse behind the scenes of modern medicine

Humanised mice? What the hell are scientists on about these days…

Right now you’re picturing a scary half-human, half-mouse Frankenstein-inspired hybrid.

But no, that’s not quite it – not yet anyway.

Humanised mice are extremely important animals in the lab that play crucial roles behind the scenes in the development of modern medicine. A humanised mouse is a mouse carrying functioning human genes, cells, tissues, and/or organs, so that they can closely reflect responses similar to what would occur in humans. This practice is most commonly seen in therapeutics involving immunodeficient diseases such as HIV/AIDS, as well as many cancer treatments.

Without these unsung heroes of the lab, many treatments of today would not be possible. So let us now take a moment and appreciate these amazing creatures of science.