Down Syndrome Modeled in Mice
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
British scientists have created the first effective mouse model of Down syndrome by inserting more than 90% of human chromosome 21 into mouse cells. Humans with the disease have an extra copy of the chromosome.
The genetically engineered mice have deficits in spatial learning and memory similar to those in human patients, but there is no way to determine if they are also retarded, the team from the National Institute of Medical Research in London reported in this week’s issue of the journal Science.
