That's the point. Mice and men have more in common than the title of a Steinbeck novel. They both get cancer. Genes that cause cancer in mice are very similar to genes that cause cancer in humans. Likewise, Cardiff's blend of expertise in human and mouse biology has never been in greater demand.
Transgenic mice are vital to cancer research for many reasons.
They act as sentinels for an array of molecular changes - cellular and genetic anomalies that can develop into cancer. At the same time, they give scientists a way to analyze the interaction of specific genes in a living, breathing mammal. Knockout mice, for example, have genes that have been artificially removed from the mouse genome, while knock-in mice have genes artificially activated. All rights reserved.