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Wheezy Mice

A mouse that gets emphysema could be the latest tool in combatting the disease.

A group of researchers from Lincoln University and Christchurch Hospital has successfully bred transgenic mice which contain the human neutrophil elastase (HNE) gene.

In emphysema, the lungs become irritated. Neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, accumulate and secrete too much elastase. As elastase breaks down the elastin in the lungs, the lungs lose their elasticity and breathing becomes more and more difficult.

Other animals do develop emphysema-like symptoms and these animals are often used in research, but for testing anti-elastase drugs there is no animal model that mimics human emphysema, making the new mouse a first.

Tests have shown that the HNE gene is working producing human elastase in the mice, although none have yet shown signs of developing emphysema.