Of mice and men
Written by Michael Paolillo
You have most surely seen an image of the iconic lab mouse, a pristinely white rodent with dark red
eyes standing on its hindlegs while looking quizzically up at the camera. Less certain is what the
mouse is used for, but at some level we imagine the mouse as a miniature human. Scientists use
mice and other animal models to unravel the complexities of aging, perception, and memory. The
insights gained from this work are then used to develop better treatments for breast cancer, back
pain, and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and the many
other afflictions that plague our loved ones – and perhaps even ourselves. The focus of this article is
to shine some light on the question – How valid are our models? – and the imperative to continuously
improve upon them if we are to conduct the best science possible.
I am a scientist and work with mice,
albeit not the white-furred, red-eyed
version so often seen in movies. The
mice I work with are the more tradi-
tional staple of a mouse laboratory
known as C57BL/6 or colloquially as
‘black 6’. All around the world, scientific
researchers use black 6 to investigate
a multitude of scientific questions (Fig.
1 - 3). One of the greatest achieve-
ments of modern science was to se-
quence all 3.2 billion nucleotides of the
human genome and shortly thereafter
geneticists moved on to decode our
furry friend black 6’s genetic code.
Molecular biology techniques allow
scientists to add and remove most any
of the ∼23,000 genes from the mouse
genome to answer questions such
as, ‘Does this gene and subsequent
protein influence neuronal death?’ or
‘If we target this enzyme can we re-
duce the chance of heart attack for
at-risk patients?’ Utilizing genetically
modified mice, we can gain a glimpse
into the complex workings of a liv-
ing, breathing, moving organism. It is
the ultimate goal of many scientists
to translate the knowledge gained
at their sterile lab bench to the ailing
patient’s bedside. This begs the ques-
tion, ‘Does the knowledge gained from
our rodent companions result in better
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treatments for grandma’s breast can-
cer, Uncle George’s chronic back pain,
and mom’s worsening memory?’ It
seems like it should, right?
Figure 1. C57BL/6 or ‘black 6‘, one of the
commonly used mouse strains.
Source: Charles River Laboratories International