Sigma-Aldrich has announced that its targeted knockout rat, made using its CompoZr Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) technology, has been recognised by The Scientist magazine.
Ranked fifth in the Top 10 Innovations of 2009, this detailed how CompoZr ZFN was used to create 'knockout' rats - animals with permanent, heritable gene mutations - that are now being used to develop genetically modified animal models for disease research.
This advance in transgenics has positive implications for identifying and treating serious diseases and medical conditions, according to the company.
Judge H Steven Wiley said: 'Gene knockouts have proven to be revolutionary in understanding gene function, but have been mostly restricted to mice and simpler model organisms.
'ZFN technology provides a new approach for making knockouts in a greater variety of organisms,' he added.
In July 2009, proof of concept was established in a published study in which scientists from the Medical College of Wisconsin, led by Dr Howard Jacob, used ZFN technology to create the targeted gene knockout rat.
Scientists were able to knock out an inserted reporter gene and two native rat genes without causing measurable effects on other genes.
Offspring of the ZFN-mutated rats also carried the modifications, demonstrating that the genetic changes were permanent and heritable.
Together, these results demonstrated the ability to deliver engineered ZFNs into early-stage embryos and to rapidly generate heritable, knockout mutations in a whole organism.
Dr Edward Weinstein, director of SAGETM Labs, the company's genetic engineering laboratories focused on designing and producing off-the-shelf and custom animal models, said: 'We are entering a new and exciting phase in the development of genetic research in which "knockout" and "knock-in" transgenic technologies will not only provide scientists with powerful new tools to study human diseases, but will enable the accelerated development of animal models targeted at specific diseases and medical conditions.
'Using CompoZr ZFN, knockout rats and mice can be generated in as little as four months, about one third of the time required to make conventional knockout models using embryonic stem-cell-based approaches,' he added.
