ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews different methods of permanently changing the genome, their applications and limitations. It also reviews certain closely related techniques such as genotyping, which are integral parts of the whole process. The generation of a genetically modified animal is always a long-term project. It demands substantial logistic investment including technical expertise, specialised infrastructure and a significant number of animals because of the relative inefficiency of the process. Sperm mediated gene transfer was the first method used to generate a transgenic animal and reported in the scientific literature. The development of any transgenic animal model is a technically demanding process that requires expertise in several fields and a substantial investment of resources. The amount and quality of information obtained was clearly limited by the extent to which the features of interest were replicated by the model. Transposons have been of great value in studying the genetics of lower organisms, and interest in their role in mammals has recently been revived.
