We are often asked why Power Panel uses mouse ES cells instead of human ES cells. There are many reasons.

There are not enough human ES lines for genetic analysis, and producing human ES lines is much more difficult. Induced pluripotent (iPS) cells are an alternative to human ES cells which have removed some of the ethical and technical barriers, but practical challenges remain. Characterization of iPS cells is at an early stage, and the genetic composition and transcriptome status of iPS cells differ from blastocyst derived ES cells.

Mouse ES cell technology is more robust and better understood. Mouse ES cells have been widely used for over twenty years, and the protocols for isolating, culturing and differentiating them are significantly more robust than for human ES or iPS cells.

Mouse genetics is simpler than human genetics, aided by many well defined inbred strains, the ability to design and conduct crosses, and much larger haplotype blocks within the laboratory inbred strains. The mouse genome is fully sequenced, and very high density SNP and haplotype maps are available for most inbred strains.

Mouse ES cells are readily engineered. Transgenics, gene targeting, conditional and inducible expression systems are some of the genome engineering technologies developed for mouse ES cells. Similar tools for human ES/iPS cell lines are only beginning to be developed.

The biological and technical advantages of mouse ES cells permits more efficient and robust genetic analysis. Predictive Biology’s approach is to identify biomarkers, genes and pathways in the mouse system and validate the findings in human cells, preclinical animal models and in the clinic.