Sigma-Aldrich is opening up a new lab that will create lines of genetically engineered rats for use in drug testing. A dozen scientists will work at the Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering lab in St. Louis, where they will employ zinc finger nuclease technology to genetically modify the rats.

The new technology gives Sigma a big edge in the battle for the billion-dollar lab animal market. It will be able to offer up the genetically altered animals in four months, just a fraction of the time other suppliers need. The company plans to initially target models for toxicology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. And the rats will be available at a cost of $300 to $500 each.

"The potential applications using these rodent models of human disease could ultimately eliminate years of research time and save millions of lives," Dave Smoller, president of Sigma Research Biotechnology.

- read the story from the St. Louis Business Journal

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