As an example, drug companies may use a gene chip to see how a specific drug will affect an animal.
Gene chips already exist for humans, mice, rats and some microorganisms. Scientists say having a representative gene chip for a large animal now could lead to better accuracy in studying human disease.
`Although we rely on animal models to study human diseases, we really aren`t sure what some of the genetic differences are between those animal models and humans,` says Alicia Bertone, researcher, who led OSU`s efforts in develop the equine gene chip. `Gene chips can help us uncover these key differences, giving us critical information before we launch into an experiment.`
Bertone developed the chip with the aid of Weisong Gu, also a researcher at OSU. The work was supported in part by Affymetrix, manufacturer of various gene chips.
Source: `Ohio State debuts first gene chip for horses`. In: DVM Newsmagazine December 22, 2003. www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/
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