Group size planning for breedings of gene-modified mice and other organisms following Mendelian inheritance.

Colony management of gene-modified animals is time-consuming, costly and affected by random events related to Mendelian genetics, fertility and litter size. Careful planning is mandatory to ensure successful outcomes using the least number of animals, hence adhering to the 3R principles of animal welfare. Here we have developed an R package, accessible also through an interactive public website, that optimizes breeding design by providing information about the optimal number of breedings needed to obtain defined breeding outcomes, taking into account specific species, strain, or line properties and success probability.

De novo expression of gastrokines in pancreatic precursor lesions impede the development of pancreatic cancer.

Molecular events occurring in stepwise progression from pre-malignant lesions (pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia; PanIN) to the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are poorly understood. Thus, characterization of early PanIN lesions may reveal markers that can help in diagnosing PDAC at an early stage and allow understanding the pathology of the disease. We performed the molecular and histological assessment of patient-derived PanINs, tumor tissues and pancreas from mouse models with PDAC (KC mice that harbor K-RAS mutation in pancreatic tissue), where we noted marked upregulation of gastrokine (GKN) proteins.