The Deep Genome Project

In vivo research is critical to the functional dissection of multi-organ systems and whole organism physiology, and the laboratory mouse remains a quintessential animal model for studying mammalian, especially human, pathobiology. Enabled by technological innovations in genome sequencing, mutagenesis and genome editing, phenotype analyses, and bioinformatics, in vivo analysis of gene function and dysfunction in the mouse has delivered new understanding of the mechanisms of disease and accelerated medical advances. However, many significant hurdles have limited the elucidation of mechanisms underlying both rare and complex, multifactorial diseases, leaving significant gaps in our scientific knowledge. Future progress in developing a functionally annotated genome map depends upon studies in model organisms, not least the mouse