Scientists have announced the most successful recreation of Down’s syndrome in mice so far, bringing the prospect of a better understanding of the condition a step closer. A study led the Medical Research Council in the UK created a mouse model of Down’s syndrome by adding an almost complete copy of human chromosome 21 to mouse embryonic cells. A person with Down’s syndrome has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the normal two. The findings, published in the journal Science, show that the mice created had several traits characteristic of Down’s syndrome, including learning and memory disabilities, congenital heart defects in some cases and a relatively small lower jaw. The scientists said more research would be necessary to find out how closely the mice were modelling Down’s syndrome but they hoped the breakthrough would add to a better understanding of the condition.
