B6-hTARDBP Mouse

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration and death of motor neurons in the central nervous system. This loss of motor neurons leads to progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, ultimately culminating in the complete loss of voluntary muscle control. Consequently, ALS can induce speech, swallowing, and respiratory difficulties ^[1]. Critically, unlike Alzheimer's disease, ALS does not necessarily impact higher-order cognitive functions. Remarkably, patients in advanced stages of the disease can maintain clear thinking and retain their premorbid memory, personality, and intelligence. Several genes have been identified as causative factors in ALS, including SOD1, ALS2, TARDBP, and FUS. Among them, TARDBP (TAR DNA-binding protein) is a gene encoding a protein involved in diverse cellular functions, including facilitating nuclear protein import, regulating circadian rhythms, and maintaining protein stability ^[2]. Mutations in the TARDBP gene are linked to ALS. These mutations can lead to abnormal TDP-43 protein accumulation and its mislocalization to the cytoplasm, a key pathological hallmark of the disease ^[3].

TARDBP-targeted therapy is mainly based on monoclonal antibody drugs, most of which are still in the preclinical stage of development. Oligonucleotides such as ASO and gene therapy have also been reported in the literature. These drugs are mainly used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). TARDBP is a new and popular target for the treatment of ALS. Preclinical disease research models are mainly transgenic (TG) or point mutation (PM) mice. To advance TARDBP-targeted drug therapies, especially gene and oligonucleotide therapies, Cyagen has independently developed a mouse Tardbp gene humanized model, which replaces the mouse Tardbp gene with the human TARDBP gene through gene editing technology. It can be used to study neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. The homozygous B6-hTARDBP mice are viable and fertile. In addition, based on the technological innovation of TurboKnockout fusion BAC recombination, Cyagen can also provide popular point mutation disease models based on this model and can provide customized services according to different point mutations to meet the needs of researchers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.