As the leader in custom genetically engineered mouse and rat models, Cyagen has generated thousands of custom knockout, knockin and transgenic rodent lines for its increasing customer base in over 3,000 universities and companies worldwide. This rapid growth has seen the number of publications citing Cyagen in high-impact journals such as Nature, Cell and Science increase to over 3,600 in record time.
Driven by our commitment to technological innovation, we embarked on a project to replace the manual micro-injection of fertilized eggs with high throughput electroporation in mid-2015. By combining high throughput electroporation with gene knockout strategies generated by AlphaKnockout, our proprietary AI (artificial intelligence) gene targeting expert system, and special ovulation induction technologies, we successfully established and cryopreserved 100 strains of CRISPR-AI knockout mouse sperms.
Encouraged by the success of the first 100 cases, we decided to create the CRISPR-AI knockout mouse sperm bank with the goal to cryopreserve strains covering most mouse genes. In just a year and a half, we have successfully established and cryopreserved over a thousand custom KO strains from which live mice can be produced in as little as seven weeks. This innovative mouse sperm cryorecovery technology builds on experience accumulated over the past years and we expect to reach 10,000 strains by the end of 2018. Moreover, we’re currently working on plans to include cryopreserved KO rat sperms as well.
With the introduction of the AI Knockout Mouse Model eBank, we hope to expand the scope of our services beyond custom model generation in order to provide more comprehensive services for both research institutions and pharmaceutical corporations
AlphaKnockout is a gene targeting expert system developed by Cyagen Biosciences for designing gene knockout strategies based on artificial intelligence (AI). Supported by the powerful processing capacity of Tianhe-2 supercomputer, it can generate and display gene knockout strategies in as little as 10 seconds. This AI strategy design tool has significantly accelerated the AI Knockout Mouse Model eBank project.
Traditional microinjection requires manual introduction of genetic material into zygotes thus limiting its efficiency. In collaboration with an original equipment manufacturer, we have developed a high throughput electroporation system suitable for mammalian zygotes. This system allows large scale transfections of mouse zygotes and eliminates the need for manual injections, thereby, boosting operational efficiency.
Research has shown that using Inhibitory antiserum (IAS) and conventional super ovulation hormones (PMSG & HCG) greatly increases mouse ovulation. Cyagen has partnered with well-known biological reagent companies to develop and optimize new reagents to increase ovulation. As a result, the number of donor zygotes harvested is 2-3 folds higher. This allows us to significantly reduce the number of mice used and increase animal welfare.
Building on our proprietary Noncontrolled-Rate Protein-Free Cryopreservation Media, we have developed optimized cryopreservation techniques for mouse sperms and embryos which have greatly improved stability and increased cryorecovery and birth rates.
Cyagen has been devoted to technical innovations for over 11 years. We do not only work hard to improve our production efficiency, but also seek new ways to reduce the use of animals to enhance animal welfare. Moreover, we’re actively applying artificial intelligence and bioinformatics to promote the use AI in biotechnology. That is why Cyagen has rapidly become the world’s leading commercial company in custom genetically modified mouse generation.
