Genetically engineered mouse models for studying radiation biology.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Preclinical Research

Background:

• Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) have revolutionized cancer research since the 1980s.
• Early models focused on single oncogenes or tumor suppressors, expanding to cover most tissue types.
• GEMMs offer significant advantages over in vitro and transplant models for preclinical studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and future approaches to mouse modeling.
• To highlight the applications of GEMMs in preclinical radiobiology research.
• To discuss advancements in modeling techniques and their impact.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical and recent advancements in GEMM generation.
• Discussion of techniques including knock-in/knock-out, shRNA knockdown, inducible expression, and CRISPR/Cas9.
• Focus on the application of these models in radiobiology.

Main Results:

• GEMMs accurately recapitulate primary cancers anatomically, histopathologically, and genetically.
• GEMMs preserve the tumor microenvironment, enabling systems-level radiobiology studies.
• GEMMs allow precise genetic control for studying radiation response and functional genomics.

Conclusions:

• GEMMs are indispensable tools for rigorous and reproducible preclinical radiobiology research.
• Advancements in genome engineering have made GEMMs more accessible.
• Continued development of GEMMs promises further insights into cancer and radiation response.