'Rat genomics and models', Cambridge, UK

Event date:
2012-12-03 An event entitled ''Rat genomics and models' will take place from 3 to 6 December 2012 in Cambridge, UK.

Scientists and researchers are relying on mice and rats for several reasons. One is convenience: rodents are small, easily housed and maintained, and adapt well to new surroundings. The other is that they reproduce quickly and have a short lifespan of two to three years, so several generations of mice can be observed in a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, the rat is used extensively as a model organism for studying both normal and disease processes in the human. The rat is an ideal research model because scientists have a deep understanding of its physiological mechanisms.

The conference will focus on the use of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), commonly known as the street rat or sewer rat. The latter is used to study etiology of complex human diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, cancer and others. Discussions will focus on the generation and annotation of an updated rat reference genome, as well as on the relationship between genetic variation, disease and/or molecular phenotypes.

Quality validation date:
2012-08-23