Some strains of laboratory mice have been inbred for many generations, resulting in large numbers of mice with nearly identical genetic makeup. Explain an advantage of using these mice in designing an experiment to test the effects of a new drug. Compare this to a test using mice with varied genetic makeup.
Using inbred strains of laboratory mice in designing an experiment to test the effects of a new drug has several advantages. One advantage is that these inbred mice have nearly identical genetic makeup, which means they are highly uniform in terms of their genetic background. This uniformity allows researchers to minimize genetic variation as a potential confounding factor in their experiments.
With a large number of mice having similar genetic makeup, researchers can assume that any observed differences in response to the new drug are more likely to be attributed to the drug itself rather than genetic variations among the mice. This helps in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between the drug and the observed effects.
On the other hand, if mice with varied genetic makeup were used in the experiment, the genetic differences among the mice could introduce a significant level of variability which may complicate the interpretation of the results. These genetic variations can influence traits such as drug metabolism, drug sensitivity, and response to treatment.
By using inbred strains of mice, researchers can minimize the genetic variability and, consequently, reduce the potential for confounding genetic factors in their experimental results. This allows for a more accurate assessment of the drug's effects and increases the reliability of the conclusions drawn from the experiment.
To sum up, using inbred strains of mice in experiments provides the advantage of minimizing genetic variation, allowing researchers to more accurately assess the drug's effects. This is in contrast to using mice with varied genetic makeup, where genetic differences can introduce additional variability that may complicate data interpretation.