Institute of Child Health

The ICH ES/Chimera Production Facility provides a customised knock-out and knock-in service.

We can:

• Help you design the best strategy for the targeting vector
• Perform targeted mutations or random integrations in ES cells
• Generate chimeras from our ES cells, or cells from other sources; for example, gene trap ES cell clones or adult stem cells.

ES cell manipulation

We will supply the ES cells and carry out the electroporation, selection and freezing of ES clones. Regretfully, we can neither generate targeting constructs nor carry out the screen of the ES cell clones for you.

T - Trophectoderm cells
C - Blastocoel cavity
ICM - Inner cell mass

Murine blastocyst injected with ES cells.
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Blastocyst injection and chimera production

We will inject between 100-120 blastocysts using 2-4 targeted clones and perform 8-10 transfers into recipient mice. To date, using this protocol, we have generated 26 mouse models. We cannot guarantee the generation of chimeric mice or germline transmission, but so far we have obtained chimeric mice in the vast majority of cases:

• • see FAQs

Chimeras will be maintained by us until they are 3 weeks old and then we will send them to you at your expense.