History, Wild Mice, and Genetics, the first volume in the four volume set, The Mouse in Biomedical Research, provides information about the history, biology and genomics of the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), as well as basic information on maintenance and use of mouse stocks. Mouse origins and relationships are covered in chapters on history, evolutionary taxonomy and wild mice. Genetics and genomics of the mouse are covered in chapters on genetic nomenclature, gene mapping, cytogenetics and the molecular organization of the mouse genome. Maintenance of laboratory mice is described in chapters on breeding systems for various types of strains and stocks and genetic monitoring. Use of the mouse as a model system for basic biomedical research is described in chapters on chemical mutagenesis, gene trapping, pharmacogenetics and embryo manipulation. The information in Volume 1 serves as a primer for scientists new to the field of mouse research.
Prof. James G. Fox obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, and, as an NIH postdoctoral fellow, received a Master of Science in Medical Microbiology at Stanford University. Dr. Fox is an adjunct professor at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a diplomate and a past president of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, as well as a past president of the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. Additionally, he has served as past chairman of the AAALAC Council and the NCCR/NIH Comparative Medicine Study Section. He is also an elected fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American Gastroenterological Association. He was recruited to MIT and created the Division of Comparative Medicine, which he directed from 1974 until 2021. As a faculty member in the MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Professor Fox received numerous scientific awards and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2004. Dr. Fox has been the principal investigator of an NIH postdoctoral training grant for veterinarians for 30 years and has trained 90 veterinarians for careers in biomedical research. The NIH has continuously funded him to study infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, where he has studied the gastrointestinal microbiome and how it interfaces with and influences the host’s immune response to gastrointestinal pathogens, particularly oncogenic Helicobacter species. He has authored over 600 papers, 84 chapters, holds 4 patents and has authored or edited 18 comparative medicine texts.