ST. LOUIS, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigma-Aldrich® Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL) today
announced that Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE™) Labs, an initiative of Sigma Life
Science, has made available three genetically modified rat models
that exhibit features key to studying conditions such as obesity,
diabetes, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, hypertension and
familial hypercholesterolemia. Details on the models are available
at http://www.sageresearchmodels.com/research-models.
"Leptin, LDL receptor and ApoE gene knockout rats display
phenotypes, physiology and metabolism sorely needed in studies of
human cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, without requiring
special, costly high-fat diets," explained Edward Weinstein, Director of SAGE Labs.
Leptin is a protein that regulates energy intake and
expenditure. Loss of functional Leptin causes uncontrolled
appetite, leading to severe obesity and abnormal metabolism. The
Leptin knockout rats (KiloRat™) weigh almost double age-matched
rats and have elevated serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
The KiloRats also show signs of insulin resistance, a critical
feature for diabetes research.
The low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor knockout rats, which
lack the receptor essential to preventing accumulation of
LDL-cholesterol in the blood, have blood cholesterol levels 4-8
times higher than age-matched rats on low or high-fat diets.
Elevated blood LDL is directly involved with the development of
atherosclerosis, the process responsible for the majority of
cardiovascular diseases.
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a protein that is essential for
normal processing of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein constituents.
The disruption of ApoE, results in errant movement of lipoproteins,
fat-soluble vitamins, and cholesterol into the lymph system, and
then into the blood. The ApoE knockout rats demonstrate a 4.5 fold
increase in total serum cholesterol concentration at 10 weeks
relative to the age-matched rats with normal diet. In addition to
utility for studies of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, ApoE
has recently been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, cognitive
degeneration, immune system regulation and nerve injury repair.
Animal models with knockouts of LDL receptor or ApoE genes were
previously available only in mice. "Rats are widely recognized as
more indicative models of human cardiovascular disease, diabetes
and atherosclerosis. A rat's heart rate is much closer to a human's
and grows much larger, which enables more detailed physiological
measurements and procedures, such as more frequent blood testing
and insertion of stents," Weinstein explained. "And, critically,
drug safety tests are performed in rats downstream. Using the same
model organism from discovery to drug development enables much
earlier and clearer answers to the key question: will this
therapeutic translate into humans?"
Additional gene knockout rat models for cardiovascular disease
and diabetes research are expected to be released in early
2012.
Scientists at SAGE Labs created the gene knockout rats through
the SAGEspeed™ model
creation process, which uses Sigma's CompoZr® Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN)
technology to create sophisticated genetic modifications in rats,
mice, rabbits, and other organisms. CompoZr ZFN technology is the
first to enable highly efficient, targeted editing of the genome of
any species. For more information, visit
www.sageresearchmodels.com.
Cautionary Statement: The foregoing release contains
forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology
such as "enables," "ideally suited" or similar expressions,
or by expressed or implied discussions regarding potential future
revenues from products derived therefrom. You should not place
undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements
reflect the current views of management regarding future events,
and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that may cause actual results to be materially different
from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that the gene
knockout rats will assist the Company to achieve any particular
levels of revenue in the future. In particular, management's
expectations regarding products associated with the gene knockout
rats could be affected by, among other things, unexpected
regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally;
the Company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other
proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in
general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures;
the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values
attributed to the Company's assets and liabilities as recorded in
its consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors
referred to in Sigma-Aldrich's current Form 10-K on file with the
US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these
risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially
from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
Sigma-Aldrich is providing the
information in this press release as of this date and does not
undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements
contained in this press release as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
About Sigma Life Science: Sigma Life Science is a
Sigma-Aldrich business that represents the Company's leadership in
innovative biological products and services for the global life
science market and offers an array of biologically-rich products
and reagents that researchers use in scientific investigation.
Product areas include biomolecules, genomics and functional
genomics, cells and cell-based assays, transgenics, protein assays,
stem cell research, epigenetics and custom
services/oligonucleotides. Sigma Life Science also provides an
extensive range critical bioessentials like biochemicals,
antibiotics, buffers, carbohydrates, enzymes, forensic tools,
hematology and histology, nucleotides, amino acids and their
derivatives, and cell culture media.
About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High
Technology company committed to Enabling Science to Improve the
Quality of Life. Its chemical and biochemical products and kits are
used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic
research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and as key
components in pharmaceutical, diagnostic and other high technology
manufacturing. The Company has customers in life science companies,
university and government institutions, hospitals, and in industry.
Over one million scientists and technologists use its products.
Sigma-Aldrich operates in 40
countries and has 8,300 employees providing excellent service
worldwide. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit
its award-winning Web site at http://www.sigma-aldrich.com.
Sigma-Aldrich and Sigma are
trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co, LLC registered in the US and other
countries. CompoZr is a registered trademark of Sigma-Aldrich
Co, LLC. SAGE, KiloRat and SAGEspeed are trademarks of
Sigma-Aldrich Co, LLC. Sprague
Dawley®™ is a U.S. registered
trademark and trademark of Harlan Laboratories, Inc.
SOURCE Sigma-Aldrich Corporation