Arthritis Research & Therapy

official impact factor 4.36

Editorial

Colony variability under the spotlight in animal models of arthritis

John H Robinson

Author Affiliations

Musculoskeletal Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK

Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, 11:110 doi:10.1186/ar2653

Published: 30 April 2009

Abstract

A recent article by Farkas and colleagues, published in Arthritis Research & Therapy, is from the laboratory of Dr Tibor Glant and his research team in Chicago, who have investigated in considerable depth the immunopathology of experimental arthritis induced by the major cartilage component proteoglycan aggrecan in an animal model that mimics many features of human rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. This present report takes our understanding a significant step forward by questioning whether genetic drift in distinct colonies of the same inbred strains of mice has an impact on the parity between data published by different laboratories.