Overview

The Gene Modification Laboratory was established to integrate and launch new technologies for rapid generation of gene-modified constructs and mutant mice for supporting mouse and human genetics research programs in the Harvard / Partners community.

The laboratory is located in room 164 at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur NRB, Boston, MA. The laboratory currently applies the bacteria-based defective prophage recombineering system for quickly engineering BAC DNA to generate BAC transgenic constructs with markers, and plasmid knockout, conditional knockout and knock-in constructs. The system relies mainly on PCR and homologous recombination in bacteria rather than traditional restriction enzymes and DNA ligases. This offers not only rapid generation of DNA constructs, but also abundant possibilities for desired DNA modifications that may not be possible due to the limitation of restriction enzyme sites using standard cloning methods.

The laboratory also incorporates Embryonic Stem (ES) cell technologies including ES cell culture and ES cell transfection and screening for generating targeted ES cell lines for the production of gene-engineered mutant mice.

In addition, the laboratory also consulting services for generating mouse models for human diseases from DNA construct design and ES cell transfection to final generation and screening of gene-modified mice.