Comprehensive characterization of genetically modified mice is impossible without adequate expertise in comparative mouse pathology.

Image of lung tumor from the Digital Atlas of Virtual Histological Slides Click image to enlarge. (for viewing it you will need to download and install MrSID plug-in)

Alexander Nikitin is a human pathologist by training and has over 20 years of experience in mouse pathology. He was a Vice Chair of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Standing Committee of the Mouse Models of Human Cancers consortium (1999-2004) and a recipient of the NCRR Midcareer Award in Mouse Pathobiology (2002-2007). He is a Co-Organizer of Practical Workshop Series on the Pathology of Mouse Models for Human Disease. The first workshop took place in the Jackson Laboratory in 2002. The subsequent meetings were held, respectively, at Cornell University (2003 and 2008), the Jackson Laboratory (2004, 2007 and 2009), Purdue University (2005), and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle (2006). The 9th workshop will be in the University of Washington Medicine - South Lake Union Campus, Seattle on September 11 - 17, 2009.

Since 2005 a graduate course VTBMS/TOX 7010 "Mouse Pathology and Transgenesis" is offered by Alexander Nikitin and colleagues at Cornell.

In addition to support of mouse pathology training, these activities allow for continuous exchange with other experts in the field, and ensure the most comprehensive characterization of mouse genetic models generated in our lab.