Rats are physiologically, morphologically, and genetically closer to humans than mice, making them an ideal animal model for human disease research. The genomic congruence of rats and humans contributes to the greater physiological similarities seen between the species. Compared to mice, rats are more capable of learning tasks and more advanced in terms of cognition and memory, which make it a popular animal model for physiological and behavioral studies human diseases research.
In recent years, rats have been favored for use in drug development studies due to significant similarities in the metabolic and pharmacokinetic properties shared between rats and humans. The larger size of rats makes them preferable for xenograft studies, imaging procedures, surgical manipulation, and accommodates multiple blood samplings to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties of a drug.
Advantages of Rat Models
- Genetic similarity: At approximately 2.75 billion base pairs (bp), the rat genome is closer to the human genome, which is 2.9 billion bp, whereas the mouse genome is 2.6 billion bp. In addition, humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, while rats have 21 and mice have 20.
- Modifiable genome: Genomic engineering technologies in rats have quickly caught up with the those seen in mice, enabling research of numerous human diseases and genetic conditions.
- Larger size: Adult rats weigh up 8 to 10 times more than adult mice, and their huge body size is advantageous for imaging, and surgical procedures (especially involving the spinal cord and brain).
- Cognitive behavior: Compared to mice, rats are more capable of learning tasks and show more stable performance in longer cognitive tests.
- Handling: Rats exhibit less stress from handling by humans; they are easier to handle and may even be trained to hold still for certain procedures.
- Social cognition: Mice are typically more averse to interaction with other mice, whereas rats tend to enjoy socialization.
Cyagen’s Custom Rat Model Generation Services
| Genetic Modification Technology |
Advantages |
Rat Model
Generation Capabilities |
| CRISPR-mediated |
- Short timeline: F0 animals as fast as 3 months
- Large-fragment modifications: Success with LFKI up to 15kb and 400kb knockout.
- Economical: Rapid production of models at a competitive price
- Targeted: Express your gene of interest accurately and precisely.
- High efficiency: Our unique mouse egg fertilization process improves the efficiency of homology-directed repair (HDR).
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| Donor Strain Rat: Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wistar, Long Evans, F344 |
| Transgenic |
Cyagen new PiggyBac transgenic rat service can deliver single-copy transgenic rat in as fast as 3 months.
- Single-copy integration: Avoids potential gene silencing from multiple copies
- Defined region of integration: No loss of transgene sequence (TTAA, transcription unit)
- Reliability: More consistent expression pattern compared to plasmid based transgenics
- Economical: Cost and turnaround time comparable to plasmid based transgenics
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| Donor Strain Rat: Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wistar, Long Evans, F344 |
Cyagen Cre Rat Platform
Cyagen is building a repository of Cre driver rat strains, available to researchers worldwide.
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