Innovations in the field of life sciences-2009: No. 5
5th place according to The Scientist. "Zinc fingers" to create knockout rats
Last year, Sigma-Aldrich won the third place for CompoZr – technology for producing zinc-fingered nucleases (zinc-fingered nucleases). These enzymes recognize specific DNA sequences and initiate breaks of DNA double strands at specified locations, which allows knocking out (removing) not only whole genes, but also individual pairs of nucleotide bases. This year, the company received the first result of the work of "zinc fingers" – knocked out rats.
Researchers at the Wisconsin Medical College used zinc-finger nucleases synthesized by Sigma-Aldrich specialists to create the world's first knockout rats, some of which emitted a green glow due to the expression of a fluorescent protein. Now not only mice, but also rats can be modified to create experimental models of human diseases.
Dave Smoller, head of biotechnological research at Sigma, said that the synthesis of zinc-finger nuclease will cost the customer $ 25,000-$35,000, however, over time, as the enzymes are developed and confirmed, the prices for nuclease variants acting on the most popular target proteins may decrease. The head of the SAGE group of laboratories of modern genetic Engineering (Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering), which is part of the company's structure, Edward Weinstein, said that SAGE plans to sell rat models of human diseases at a reasonable price, as well as accept orders for the creation of such models. SAGE has already signed an agreement with the Michael J. Smith Foundation. Fox to create a panel of five different lines of knockout rats that do not have genes involved in the development of Parkinson's disease.