This course will deal with the basic principles underlying the generation of transgenic, knock-out (KO) and knock-in (KI) mice. KO and KI mice were traditionally made through embryonic stem cells (ECS) technology. ESC derivation, in vitro genetic modification and use in the generation of chimeric mice represent a main theme of the course.

Most recently, the spectacular advances in CRISPR/Cas9-assisted gene modification have found wide application in mouse genetics. CRISPR/Cas9-technology strongly facilitates gene targeting in ESCs, but can also be directly used in zygotes, evading the ESC route. Both applications will be presented as well as the application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in non-germ-line gene modification.

The course will consist of lectures covering technology and applications of genetic engineering in basic and medical research. Practical demonstrations will show crucial steps in the generation of transgenic, KO and KI mice, and principles of in vivo imaging. The first three days of the course will prepare participants for the 2-day international workshop on Innovative Mouse Models (IMM 2019) immediately following the course. Keynote lectures from leading laboratories and presentations from selected abstracts will discuss the latest developments in advanced genome modification protocols and its applications in fundamental biology and biomedical research. Course participants will participate in ‘meet-the-expert’ sessions.