The identification of new, more efficient drug targets has emerged as a main challenge for cardiovascular experimental research. Mouse transgenesis and mutagenesis offered new opportunities to discover the function of genes and their encoded proteins. Nevertheless, the transfer of physiological methods and techniques to the mouse faced significant hurdles. The size and the rapidly beating heart challenged many imaging modalities and standard cardiovascular methods. The Mouse Clinical Institute (MCI, Strasbourg, France) provides a technical platform for large-scale studies using fully standardized and validated methods to investigate cardiac anatomy and function (echocardiography, left-ventricular catheterization, electrocardiography), atherosclerosis (histological methods) and blood pressure (non invasive tail-cuff, telemetry). Models of hypertension and cardiac remodelling (angiotensin II and isoproterenol infusions, L-NAME/salt, DOCA/salt, diet-induced

obesity) are also standardized. These methods and models are employed together with classical pharmacological approaches to give an integrative view on pharmacogenomics.

For further information please visit www-mci.u-strasbg.fr/