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| Vol. 22, No. 20 |
| November 1, 2000 |
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Web site links mouse-savvy scientists By JOAN CARTER Baylor College of Medicine A new Web site, http://www.mymouse.org, looks to link mouse-savvy scientists. The National Institutes of Health-funded site, created by investigators at Baylor College of Medicine, was designed to help researchers rapidly collaborate to determine the function of new genes identified by the Human Genome Project. "Mutant mice are shareware," said Dr. Jeffrey Noebels, professor of neurology and molecular and human genetics at Baylor, who along with Caleb Davis, a programmer in the department of neurology, developed the site. "An altered gene can disrupt the physiology and behavior of a mouse in unpredictable ways. As a result, the combined energies of many laboratories are often required to fully characterize what has gone wrong with each mouse," said Dr. Noebels, also the director of Baylor's Blue Bird Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory. Dr. Noebels said studies required to determine the full function of a gene can range from clinical tests, similar to those performed by physicians on their patients, to detailed analyses of cells at the molecular level. These studies can take years to complete. The Web site accelerates this process by allowing researchers in every field of biology to immediately identify mice available for study and list their own mice for others to examine. Scientists can also use the site to rapidly arrange a collaborative study or request notification of new mouse entries. In general, genetically engineered mice are only reported in scientific publications once an abnormality related to the mutation is finally found, Dr. Noebels said. However, because many conditions might not be obvious to the original investigator, this system can delay the discovery of significant new disorders. Dr. Noebels and Davis will be presenting their new Web site Nov. 5 at the annual Society for Neurosicence meeting in New Orleans. They believe the new Web site will improve the way mouse scientists communicate, collaborate and do research. "It's like getting a 'mouse at the click of a mouse,'" said Dr. Noebels.
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