K. C. Kent Lloyd, a Distinguished Professor and the Director of UC Davis Mouse Biology Program, member of IMPC, emphasises the continued importance of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) to genetic research in Commentary: The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium: high‑throughput in vivo functional annotation of the mammalian genome. He highlights how IMPC has been providing critical knowledge of function of protein-coding genes in the mouse genome and the associated human diseases, and how essential the continuation of these efforts is.
The growing complexities in genomics demand collaboration beyond the capacity of any one group or nation. In this article, Prof. Lloyd describes how the IMPC has been tackling this challenge for over a decade by pioneering a global effort to understand mammalian gene function. By creating a comprehensive, publicly available catalogue of gene function, which is a critical step in translating genomic knowledge into clinical practice, the IMPC is offering crucial insights into human disease mechanisms.
Prof. Lloyd points out that the IMPC, to date, has knocked out and phenotyped nearly 10,000 mouse genes and more than 1,300 of these have been linked to human diseases opening new avenues for drug discovery and rare disease research. Nearly 48,000 researchers worldwide have taken advantage of the IMPC resources, contributing to studies on conditions like schizophrenia, cardiomyopathy, and osteoporosis. Ensuring the IMPC efforts can continue to cover the whole protein coding mouse genome will support research and discoveries in these areas even further.
The IMPC continues to further our understanding of genomics and genetics beyond the original aims of the project by applying artificial intelligence, machine learning and other advanced analyses, thus offering transformative insights into human health. The project has the potential to expand beyond protein-coding genes, exploring the non-coding genome to further unravel gene regulation.
There are still 7,300 genes remaining to be studied to complete the full catalogue of protein coding genes on mice. Completing this task will require sustained international funding and collaboration. In its continuous pursuit of understanding the genome, the IMPC demonstrates the power of global collaboration in driving scientific breakthroughs that will be useful in shaping the future of medicine. Prof. Lloyd ends with an encouraging tone for the IMPC to continue to push forward:
“If it does so, the IMPC will undoubtedly continue to shape the landscape of genetics and biomedicine, drive scientific discovery, and contribute to improvements in human health.”
References:
Lloyd, K.C.K. Commentary: The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium: high-throughput in vivo functional annotation of the mammalian genome. Mamm Genome (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-024-10068-x