ABSTRACT
In order to elucidate the complexity of gene and protein networks within multicellular organisms, a new animal model called the collaborative cross (CC) [14,39,40] has been proposed and is currently under development at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This effort captures most of the known genetic variation in existing strains of laboratory mice and randomly redistributes it amongst 1000 new isogenic strains. The CC was designed specifically for whole-genome, combinatorial analysis. It will generate vast amounts of heterogeneous data including high-density genotypes and phenotypic measurements at the molecular, physiological, and environmental levels.
