Gene Targeting

Gene targeting allows scientist to inactivate or modify particular genes in mice. This technique helps scientists use mice to study heart disease, diabetes, cancer, cystic fibrosis and other diseases. On Monday October 8, 2007, U.S. citizens Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies, and Sir Martin J. Evans of Britain won the 2007 Nobel Prize for there discoveries that led to this technique of manipulating mouse genes.

Gene targeting is done by researchers who introduce a "genetic change" into mouse embryonic stem cells. Then the mice that are born from these embryos produce offspring with the altered genes. Overall, using this technique scientist have studied about half of the genome of a mouse.

By using gene targeting, people who work in the fields of biomedicine are able to understand specific gene function. Capecchi and his colleagues have geneticaly altered mice (knockout mice) and developed strains of genes to study health related conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Although, right now this technique is only being used to study mice, eventually I believe that we could use gene targeting to help treat disease in humans.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/08/nobel.science.ap/index.html
(CNN)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071008/ts_nm/nobel_medicine_dc
(Yahoo News)