Mouse models provide insights into the causal mechanisms of diseases

Small differences in our genome distinguish us from each other. Although diversity is a good thing, many diseases are caused by genetic variants. Due to the around 80-percent similarity between the mouse and human genome, mice are of great assistance in the study of human diseases. Mouse strains can therefore be used to build models of genetic diseases that affect humans. Such models can be used to study the causal mechanisms of diseases and to design drugs.