US lab bringing research mice to China

United States-based nonprofit biomedical research institution Jackson Laboratory has vowed to bring more top quality mouse research models to China, in a bid to help the country in biomedical research and drug discovery.

With over nine decades of expertise in mice genetics, Jackson Laboratory has offered China over 11,000 strains of mice that can be applied toward researching many diseases, such as lung cancer and diabetes.

According to the institution, China now has access to 95 percent of its mouse research models, and in the near-future more models will become available to Chinese scientists.

"Selection and use of the highest quality and most appropriate mouse models can assist in determining which drugs have the highest potential for humans and eliminate poor potential drugs at a cost savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in development costs per drug," said Charles Miller, general manager of Jackson Laboratory China.

To ensure delivery, Jackson Laboratory partnered with iBio Logistics, a Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company, for order fulfillment and transportation of mice in Chinese mainland. As part of this role, iBio Logistics will provide Mandarin-speaking customer support, quotes, order placement and delivery on behalf of Jackson Laboratory.

"With these efforts, Jackson Laboratory is increasing access for academic and drug discovery scientists in China to premium quality research mouse models with the goal of helping the research community generate impactful discoveries using mouse models of the highest quality and health standards in the world," said Auro Nair, executive vice president of Jackson Laboratory.

"Jackson Laboratory will achieve this goal through having complete assurance and control of the entire supply chain of our mice, from production in the US to arrival at clients' sites in China, thereby ensuring quality and timeliness," he said.

In addition, Jackson Laboratory also announced it would team up with Xi'an Jiaotong University in an effort to use the most advanced genetic and cell engineering technologies to develop novel therapies for treating human diseases, as well as evaluate cancer therapy options and enhance the understanding of anti-cancer drug resistance in patients.

"I am looking forward to collaborating with Xi'an Jiaotong University to develop and implement critical tools for clinicians in Xi'an, China to help them make more accurate diagnoses of genetic tests as well as accelerate the development and translation of precision medicine solutions for treating human diseases," said Charles Lee, scientific director of Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine.