Tee-Shirt, OncoMouse
Tee-Shirt, OncoMouse
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- Description (Brief)
- On April 12, 1988, OncoMouse became the first animal to be patented in the United States (patent number 4,736,866). OncoMice are genetically modified to have an active cancer gene, making them very likely to develop cancer. Scientists hoped this trait would make the mice useful test subjects for cancer research.
- Developed by Harvard scientists Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart in early 1983, OncoMice were created by injecting known cancer genes into mouse embryos just after fertilization, using a very fine glass needle. This genetic modification not only made the mouse that grew from the embryo prone to cancer, but ensured that the cancer genes would be passed down to its offspring. Much of the funding for this research was paid for by DuPont, and the company was given priority to license the patent from Harvard, making it the sole distributor of OncoMice. This “Stalking Cancer” teeshirt advertises DuPont’s sale of OncoMice.
- Sources:
- U.S. Patent 4,736,866. “Transgenic non-human mammals.” Published 12 April 1988.
- “The Origins of Oncomice: A history of the first transgenic mice genetically engineered to develop cancer.” Douglas Hanahan, Erwin F. Wagner, and Richard D. Palmiter. Genes and Development. Volume 21. 2007. p.2258.
- “Inventing Oncomice: making natural animal, research tool and invention cohere.” Rosemary Robins. Genomics, Society and Policy. Vol. 4, No 2. 2008. p. 21.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- tee shirt
- t-shirt
- Physical Description
- cotton (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 73.6 cm x 73.6 cm; 28 31/32 in x 28 31/32 in
- ID Number
- 2001.3066.04
- catalog number
- 2001.3066.04
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3066
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Biological Sciences
- Health & Medicine
- Biotechnology and Genetics
- Science & Mathematics
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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