Genetic modification screening

Surrey Diagnostics provides a range of genetic modification screening services for your transgenic animal colonies. All of our screening services are confidential and tailored to your individual needs.

The use of transgenic animals has increased markedly during recent years. This means that it is necessary to screen breeding colonies in order to establish which progeny carry the appropriate genetic modification.

Many research facilities have found that this is difficult to organise in-house and there are often large numbers of untested mice in the facility, taking up valuable housing space. This is particularly important now that Full Economic Costing has been introduced. Surrey Diagnostics can screen your animals for you, enabling you to keep only the animals that have the correct genetic modification.

In order for Surrey Diagnostics to establish a PCR test for your requirements we will require the following:

•   Primer sequences or your prepared primers
•   Test sample that is homozygous positive for the modification
•   Test sample that is heterozygous for the modification
•   A basic SOP to follow

When the test has been validated your samples can be analysed at a rate of nearly 100 samples per day for simple one-step PCR tests. The test sample can be a tail clip or possibly a sample of hair bulbs 1.

Standard Genotyping Tests

Surrey Diagnostics  are able to screen your animal colonies for the ob gene. The test sample can be a tail clip, an ear clip or hair bulb samples. Testing in this way eliminates the need to retain animals until the phenotype is evident. By using PCR testing, you are able to identify immediately those which are ob/ob, ob/+ or +/+.

Surrey Diagnostics can screen any mammalian species to determine gender through the sex chromosomes. The test sample can be blood, tissue or hair bulb samples.

PCR screening for the xx/yy genes allows you to identify the gender of undeveloped foetuses or any animals with abnormal development.

1 DNA detection in hair of transgenic mice - a simple technique minimising the distress on the animals, Laboratory Animals (1999) 33,385-398.