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Genetically engineered mouse (GEM) mutants are rising substantially in number and complexity. However, the scientific community lacks a sufficient workforce with expertise in comparative pathology to effectively characterize and validate these model animals.

Following large-scale mouse mutagenesis programs and expansion of Genetically Engineered Mice created by individual scientists, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is embarking on the "knock out mouse project" (KOMP), aiming to knock out all functional mouse genes. Similar large-scale efforts are underway in Canada (NorCOMM: North American Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Project), Europe (EUCOMM: European Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Programme) and Asia. These programs, now amalgamated as the "International Mouse Knockout Consortium", are creating a critical, but unmet, need for expert comparative pathologists who are knowledgeable in mouse biology and human disease.

Comparative pathologists are the gatekeepers of translational research. Effective mouse pathology requires a global understanding of mouse biology. Comparative mouse pathology requires a unique set of skills and a knowledge base that is not possessed by most investigators or, for that matter, most service pathologists. The lack of pathologists qualified to serve biomedical research, and mouse-related research in particular, is also emphasized in recent reports from the U.S. National Academy of Science, American College of Veterinary Pathologists and PRIME.

The advances in the understanding and manipulation of the genome have created a new field of pathology aimed at understanding the effect of specific changes in the genome on disease processes, Genomic Pathology. For the first time in scientific history, specific changes in the genome can be experimentally correlated with specific changes in disease processes. Cancer biology provides one example in which genetic manipulation results in very specific and unexpected tumor phenotypes. While this information is widely dispersed, it is not systematically taught in most residency, or other training programs resulting in service pathologists unprepared for current and future needs as well as being untrained to guide their research staff in use of GEM. The use of untrained pathologists has already led to numerous egregious errors appearing in publications.

Although recognizing the problem, NIH has not committed adequate resources for addressing this shortage. Furthermore, NIH funding mechanisms do not allow for training in pathology. Where are the mouse pathologists of the future and who is going to train them? Who is going to train technical staff researchers?

One solution is to develop an "electronic consortium" of existing "experts" in mouse pathology whose collective wisdom and resources can be systematically collected, integrated, and disseminated. More important, their expertise now can be shared with interested young pathologists and staff using appropriate distant-learning tools. While the technology for a distance-learning consortium is available, a stable funding base needs to be identified and developed.

Scientists involved in creating this huge mouse population must also recognize the need, and help to seek a solution. The government is funding the generation of GEMs, but is failing to create the necessary human resources. A potential solution is a partnership between academia, industry and government. We have asked that the scientific community recognize the impending crisis and help address the issue before it becomes catastrophic.

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