Microinjection
and Transgenesis

The microinjection and transgenesis platform enables the production of experimental models of human diseases to accelerate the understanding of the cause of disease and its progression.
 
The function and relevance of a gene in biological processes in vivo and in disease pathogenesis can be easily studied with great precision by eliminating, modifying or overexpressing a gene. The microinjection service at the IRCM offers the following services: microinjection of DNA or RNA into the pronucleus (PN) of the fertilized egg; gene targeting in pluripotent embryonic stem cells ("ES" cells); microinjection of ES cells into the blastocyst; decontamination and recovery of mouse lines (re-derivation); the conservation and management of genetically modified mouse lines by cryopreservation of sperm or embryos and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Recently, the new CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing technology was successfully adapted to the IRCM. To target a gene today, it is enough to identify a sequence of twenty base pairs, to order a series of oligonucleotides and to make the microinjections in the PN of the mice.