Production of mouse line

In collaboration with the Viral Vector Platform and Farah, the Murine Transgenic Platform has developed a very efficient method of production of mouse lines by subzonal injection of lentivirus. This method is very easy to perform and more efficient than pronuclear injection. It consists to the simple injection of lentivirus inside the perivitelline space of early mouse zygotes. Three different constructions were integrated in a lentiviral vector prior to be injected in the perivitelline space of C57Bl/6J zygotes and one mouse line was obtained for each of them.

The Murine Transgenic Platform, in association with the unit of Embryology and VitriCell SA, has developed a new cryopreservation technology based on aseptic one-step vitrification. Cryopreservation of embryos is amongst the most powerful and efficient tools for indefinitely preserving the genetics of laboratory animals. The ensuing benefits are numerous and include reduction of costs associated to strain perpetuation, limitation of mutations occurrence and spreading, ease and safety of transnational shipping, and reduction of live animal husbandry. We have developed and patented a unique one-step embryo vitrification procedure which is as efficient as the best multi-step vitrification methods. Moreover, our media are chemically defined (no serum nor undefined biological component), and aseptic vitrification carriers can be used without any yield loss. Our one-step vitrification kits and media for rodents (VitriMice™, VitriCell SA) address the poor ergonomic issues of classical vitrification, providing scientists with efficient, biologically safe and user-friendly solutions for embryo cryopreservation. Consequently, our one-step vitrification technology improves efficiency and applicability of cryopreservation for laboratory rodents, thereby is in accordance with the 3Rs because it contributes to the reduction of the number of live animals required to perpetuate and spread useful strains and colonies.