Scientists Developing Virtual Rat

The new computerized model could yield valuable insights into the genetic and environmental causes of disease.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin are developing a virtual rat, thanks to a new $13 million grant from the National Institute of Health. A National Center for Systems Biology will be established to create and manipulate the world’s first Virtual Physiological Rat (VPR), essentially combining computer models with lab experiments. Chief researcher Daniel Beard hopes the project will yield new insights into the causes of diseases such as hypertension, renal disease, heart failure, and metabolic syndromes, since the simulated rat models could account for very complex interactions between genes and environmental factors. Findings from the VPR will then be used to test real animals and even develop new strains of genetically engineered rats. It is not yet clear how much cheese will be involved in the project.

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