Particular strains of transgenic mice. Genes are 'knocked out', or disrupted, when transgenes are inserted into a particular genetic location. Using transgenic technology, researchers can target specific mouse genes for inactivation. Knockout mice provide valuable models of human diseases as the genetic patterns are quite similar.
A powerful and popular tool to make data obtained from animal studies more applicable to human diseases. With conventionally bred mice, the models represent the mouse equivalent of a human disease. Knockout mice are manipulated at a genetic level to reproduce diseases as they occurs in humans.