CAMTraST scientists work closely with our clients through the entire process of animal model development.

This process often begins with discussing your interest in establishing a large animal model to study certain genes.

We will help you understand the pros and cons of using large animal models, and help you decide which species and which kind of “transgenic” model (e.g. knockout, knock-in, knock-down, tissue specific, etc.) are appropriate for your project.

Next, we’ll ask you to provide detailed information on the gene(s) of interest. After that, we will form an agreement for the project, specifying deliverables, guarantees, fees, and timelines.

The production process starts with the design of transgene constructs.

After that, transgene constructs will be synthesized, validated, and used for microinjection to the embryos.

Embryo transfer will be performed and all resulting newborn animals will be genotyped. Finally, positive animals will be identified as “founder” animals.

An example of this process is demonstrated in this JoVE article (Yang, D., Zhang, J., Xu, J., Zhu, T., Fan, Y., Fan, J., et al. Production of Apolipoprotein C-III Knockout Rabbits using Zinc Finger Nucleases. J. Vis. Exp. (81), e50957, doi:10.3791/50957 (2013)).

CAMTraST researchers are among the first in the world to produce gene knockout and knockin transgenic animals in non-rodent species (e.g. rabbits and pigs) using advanced gene targeting technologies.

We also have the technology platform for Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC) and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC).

Researchers at CAMTraST are engaged in the following R&D projects:

• Development of novel animal models.
• Improvement of transgenic animal technologies.
• Development of patient-specific stem cells.
• Target identification and validation for human cardiovascular diseases and metabolism diseases.

Flow chart of production of knockout rabbits