Common Laboratory Mouse Strains: A Beginner's Guide

This MiniCourse is self-paced and takes one to two hours to complete. At the end of the MiniCourse, you will be able to understand essential concepts related to common laboratory mouse strains. You can purchase a JAX digital badge credential and certificate for $10 (USD). In order to purchase and display a JAX digital badge credential and certificate for this MiniCourse, you must complete the Core Lessons and take the Self-Review Quiz (scoring at least 70%).

This MiniCourse is also available in Spanish.

Topics

• Breeding schemes of commonly used laboratory mouse strains
• Inbred, outbred and hybrid nomenclature
• How substrains develop
• Genetic drift and the reproducibility dilemma
• Strategies to reduce genetic drift
• Resources to find the right inbred mouse for your experimental plan
• Animal health monitoring and mouse room housing conditions

Target Audience

This MiniCourse is designed to meet the needs of people who are new to utilizing laboratory mice for genetic and genomic research projects, including: graduate and postdoctoral students, advanced undergraduates with a background in biology, research assistants, early-career scientists, lab technicians, mouse colony managers and staff.

About our Education Offerings

As an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution founded in 1929, The Jackson Laboratory leverages its unique combination of research, education and resources to achieve its mission: to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in its shared quest to improve human health. We offer comprehensive educational programs for scientists throughout their careers, from high school students and teachers to researchers at all experience levels, and for clinical providers interested in incorporating genetics and genomics into their practices.

While we are not an accredited higher education institution, we offer a variety of education programs — including free non-credit bearing MicroLessons and MiniCourses, with optional digital badge credential and certificate for purchase — designed to educate current and future scientists and to provide critical resources, data, tools and services to researchers worldwide.

MiniCourse topics address both foundational content and the research areas in which The Jackson Laboratory has earned a reputation for scientific leadership and excellence.

JAX Online MicroLesson and MiniCourse Catalog

Select MiniCourses available in Spanish and Mandarin

Hardware and Software Requirements

• Audio speakers or headphones
• Screen resolution of 800X600 or higher
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher
• JavaScript enabled
• 1GB of RAM
• 2GHz processor

It is always recommended to use the most up-to-date browsers and high-speed internet connections for optimal system performance.

If you need technical support, please email: Online and Digital Education at The Jackson Laboratory.

Accessibility Statement

JAX Online and Digital Education is committed to creating online learning experiences that are accessible to all learners. Our content complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (as amended in 2008) and with associated federal and state laws. We are dedicated to continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the most current accessibility standards.

For more details, please download: JAX Online MicroLessons and MiniCourses Accessibility Information.