Strategies for managing an ever increasing mutant mouse repository

Over 10,000 mouse strains and more than 20,000 mouse ES cells containing gene-trapped or targeted mutations are available to researchers. The mouse strains and stocks include those with spontaneous, genetically engineered and induced mutations, as well as 100s of inbred strains and strain panels, valuable for quantitative trait locus (QTL) and modifier gene identification. Current worldwide initiatives are expected to result in multiple mutations in every mouse gene in the first 10 years of the 21st century. Managing the rapid and cost effective distribution of these burgeoning resources to scientists around the world will be challenging for scientists and mouse repositories. Here we describe new strategies for managing and distributing mice.