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Weapon-X Mice

Posted by timothy on from the knock-out-mice dept.

Bob Vila's Hammer writes "New Scientist has this article about a new breed of mice created in a lab. They have the ability to heal wounds very effectively as they have been genetically engineered to produce large amounts of a protein called angiopoietin-related growth factor. This AGF was found to be in high concentrations at the site of wounds and is expecting further study to ascertain its full potential use in treatments for skin disorders and diseases in humans."

13 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. They're thick-skinned too... by jazir1979 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...so I'm sure they stand up well to derogatory comments about their little pink eyes.

    Or their swollen ears, noses and eyelids.

    --
    What's your GCNSEQNO?
  2. beware the bezerker-mouse attack! by the+darn · · Score: 2, Funny

    *squeak* *squeak* *SNIKT*

    --
    Ceci n'est pas un post.
    1. Re:beware the bezerker-mouse attack! by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Step away from the cheese, bub."

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
  3. Curious... by spumoni_fettuccini · · Score: 2, Funny
    "This finding is very interesting and could lead to novel therapies for skin diseases such as psoriasis, allergies or wound healing," says Yuichi Oike, who led the research at Keio University in Tokyo.

    Bob Vila's Hammer, eh? Paying attention to healing research becuase you hit the wrong nail one time too many?

    --
    -- Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
    1. Re:Curious... by Bob+Vila's+Hammer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      :-) No. I do have allergies though, and an associated dermititis. More intense allergic reactions to food and other allergens cause rashy manifestations. It is very unpleasant.

      I'm hoping that this technology can be used somehow to shorten the length of this type of reaction, but I guess more research is needed - the article only mentions injuries.

      What I'm interested in is whether increased AGF healing still leaves scars. The article also didn't remark on that.

      --


      --"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
    2. Re:Curious... by ravenousbugblatter · · Score: 4, Informative
      Bob Villa - AGF has nothing to do with allergies, which are essentially a hyperactive immune response to a foreign antigen. So you'll have to keep waiting and taking antihistamines and getting steroid shots when you eat the wrong thing...:~(

      I would be willing to bet that scarring is minimal (with small injuries) as scar tissue is different than normal skin. This could potentially be a very lucrative drug target and I'll bet that big pharma will be doing some studies of their own soon. It'll be interesting to see what the result of the knockout study is...my bet is that it's embryonic lethal (loss of the gene during embryonic development causes the fetal mice to be non-viable).

  4. a plan! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 3, Funny

    Okay, so we take one of these mice who's a real ASSHOLE, then coat his little skeleton with a super-hard metal and retractable claws, and _then_ we'll have the first X-Mouse.

    We should genetically modify some of these to have USB connectors first, though. Maybe FireWire, since they'll be all super and shit...

  5. about time... by Polo · · Score: 4, Funny


    About time to think about building a better mousetrap.

  6. And in other news... by ae0nflx · · Score: 4, Funny

    Supplies of adamantium have drop around the globe after two firms began competing for the rare substance. One firm, located in Toyko seems to be using the substance in mice, while the other, located in a frozen tundra in Canada, seems to be using it to create an woman with really pointy claws....

  7. The Ultimate Weapon by fuzzybunny · · Score: 4, Funny


    All I want are fricken mice with fricken laser beams attached to their heads, is that so much to ask?

    --
    Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
  8. don't you mean wolverine/logan? by portscan · · Score: 3, Informative

    I am pretty sure that Weapon-X was the name given to Wolverine by the research facility that bonded the adamantium to his skeleton. The healing factor is one of his natural mutant abilities (and, in fact, is what allowed him to survive the adamantium bonding process). So, unless they've found a way to do that (which is what I first thought after reading the headline), it would just be Wolverine.

    1. Re:don't you mean wolverine/logan? by Bob+Vila's+Hammer · · Score: 2, Informative

      I was aware of the discrepancy. I was going to name the story Wolverine Mice but just decided on Weapon-X instead.

      Wolverine Mice naturally depicts a mouse with terrific claws, ragged teeth, and a terrible temper (the characteristics of a cross-breed: mouse and wolverine - impossible).

      Weapon-X Mice sounds like a project or experiment - which is what produced this breed and one that still hints at the mutant healing factor that the comic character Wolverine uses.

      --


      --"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
  9. Economic Benefits of Accelerated Healing by vudufixit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been thinking of bottlenecks in the national economy. One of them is injuries and healing. It occurred to me that if someone could translate a growth factor like this to human usage, and get people with injuries healed and back to work faster, it could save billions in health care costs and lost productivity.