Knock Out to Understand Human Diseases – Part 1 – Science 14

Knockout is a technique to in-activate specific genes in human body. The technique is part of biotechnology.

Image 1- Procedure to produce gene knockout animal

(Source: Hansson, 2007)

This technology has been used to modify living organisms in order to improve human welfare since long time ago, may be dated back to ancient time about 5000 B.C.E.

Inactivated specific genes is the biochemical and pathological basis that might be used to understand human diseases.

For these purposes the scientists produced a knockout mouse.

Image 2- Red tulip, just illustration

National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH (2015: Knockout Mice) informed that human share many genes with mice.

Image 3- Green at neighborhood, illustration only

Thus, observing knockout mice gives information that can be used to better understand how a similar gene may cause or contribute to disease in humans.

Image 4- Looking cute, just illustration

So far, knockout mice have been used to understand many diseases, including: - cancer

- obesity and diabetes
- heart disease
- arthritis
- substance abuse
- anxiety
- aging and Parkinson disease.

# To be continued to Part 2

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