# BALB/c

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**BALB/c** is an [albino](/source/Albino), [laboratory-bred](/source/Laboratory_mouse) strain of the [house mouse](/source/House_mouse) from which a number of common substrains are derived. Now over 200 [generations](/source/Generation) from New York in 1920, BALB/c mice are distributed globally, and are among the most widely used [inbred strains](/source/Inbred_strain) used in [animal experimentation](/source/Animal_experimentation).[1]

## History

The founding animals of the strain were obtained by Halsey J. Bagg of Memorial Hospital, New York, from a mouse dealer in [Ohio](/source/Ohio) in 1913. The name BALB is a [portmanteau](/source/Portmanteau) of "Bagg" and "Albino." From 1920, the progeny of the original colony were systematically [inbred](/source/Inbred), sibling to sibling, for 26 generations over 15 years. During this time, the colony passed through the care of a number of scientists, including [C.C. Little](/source/C._C._Little) and E.C. MacDowell at the [Carnegie Institution of Washington](/source/Carnegie_Institution_of_Washington) and [H.J. Muller](/source/Hermann_Joseph_Muller) at the [University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin).[2] By 1935 the animals were in the possession of Muller's student, [George Davis Snell](/source/George_Davis_Snell), who moved them to The [Jackson Laboratory](/source/Jackson_Laboratory). This stock provided the basis of all the BALB/c substrains that are now in use around the world.[3]

Snell provided some animals from this stock to the [National Institutes of Health](/source/National_Institutes_of_Health) (NIH) to maintain. In 1961 D. W. Bailey used some of these to generate a substrain at the [University of California, San Francisco](/source/University_of_California,_San_Francisco). In 1974, now 136 generations from the original breeding pair, these animals were returned to The Jackson Laboratory and were named ***BALB/cByJ***.[3] On 16 November 2005, The Jackson Laboratory reported this substrain had reached its 235th generation.[4]

Snell also provided a colleague, J. Paul Scott, with some BALB/c breeding stock in 1938 or 1939.[2] When a fire destroyed the main Jackson Laboratory buildings in 1947,[5] all of Snell's original breeding stock perished, but Scott's mice were in a different building and survived. Scott donated stock back, at generation 41, to repopulate the colony. The progeny of these are now termed ***BALB/cJ*** and, as of 14 December 2006, were 221 generations from the founding stock.[6] Other less popular substrains, such as *BALB/cWt*, are maintained at the Jackson Laboratory, while the *BALB/cN* substrain is maintained by the NIH.[3]

## Characteristics

BALB/c mice are useful for research into both cancer and immunology. According to [Michael Festing's](/source/Michael_Festing) *Inbred Strains of Mice*,[1] BALB/c substrains are "particularly well known for the production of [plasmacytomas](/source/Plasmacytoma) on injection with [mineral oil](/source/Mineral_oil)," an important process for the production of [monoclonal antibodies](/source/Monoclonal_antibodies). They are also reported as having a "low [mammary tumour](/source/Breast_cancer) incidence",[1] but do develop other types of cancers in later life, most commonly reticular neoplasms, [lung tumours](/source/Lung_cancer), and [renal tumours](/source/Renal_cancer).[4][6] Most substrains have a "long reproductive life-span",[1] are noted for displaying high levels of anxiety and for being relatively resistant to diet-induced [atherosclerosis](/source/Atherosclerosis), making them a useful model for cardiovascular research.[4][6]

There are noted differences between different BALB/c substrains, though these are thought to be due to [mutation](/source/Mutation) rather than genetic contamination.[7] For example, male BALB/c mice are aggressive and will fight other males if housed together. However, the *BALB/Lac* substrain is much more docile.[8] The *BALB/cWt* is also unusual in that 3% of progeny display true [hermaphroditism](/source/Hermaphroditism).[9]

The BALB/cJ[10] mice have a medium lifespan of about 17 months for males and 20 months for females,[11] and the body weight at 9 weeks after birth is about 27 g (0.95 oz) for males and 21 g (0.74 oz) for females.[12]

The BALB/c mouse is used as a preclinical model to study age-related bone loss and osteoporosis . With aging, these mice show a progressive decrease in bone mineral density and deterioration of bone microarchitecteur . these changes lead to reduced bone strength, making BALB/c mice a useful model for investigating bone aging and osteoporosis mechanisms. [13]

## See also

- [Animal model](/source/Animal_model)
- [Animal testing on rodents](/source/Animal_testing_on_rodents)
- [C57BL/6](/source/C57BL/6)

## References

1. ["BALB/c"](http://www.informatics.jax.org/external/festing/mouse/docs/BALB.shtml). *Inbred Strains of Mice*. Jackson Laboratory. Retrieved 2007-04-16.

1. Potter M. History of the BALB/c family, pp. 1–5. In: The BALB/c Mouse: Genetics and Immunology, *Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology*, Vol. 122. Springer-Verlag, NY. 1985.

1. ["A Brief History of the Two Substrains of BALB/c, BALB/cJ, and BALB/cByJ"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110619092710/http://jaxmice.jax.org/jaxnotes/archive/443a.html). *Jax Mice Literature*. Jackson Laboratory. Archived from [the original](http://jaxmice.jax.org/jaxnotes/archive/443a.html) on 19 June 2011. Retrieved 2010-09-30.

1. ["BALB/cByJ"](http://jaxmice.jax.org/strain/001026_2.html). *Jax Mice Data Sheet*. Jackson Laboratory. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20061116054205/http://jaxmice.jax.org/strain/001026_2.html) 16 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-04-16.

1. ["The Jackson Laboratory Milestones: 1940 – 1949"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070915090022/http://www.jax.org/about/timeline/1940.html). *The Jackson Laboratory Timeline*. Jackson Laboratory. Archived from [the original](http://www.jax.org/about/timeline/1940.html) on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-16.

1. ["BALB/cJ"](http://jaxmice.jax.org/strain/000651.html). *Jax Mice Data Sheet*. Jackson Laboratory. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070411205957/http://jaxmice.jax.org/strain/000651.html) 11 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-04-16.

1. Hilgers, J.; van Nie, R.; Ivanyi, D.; Hilkens, J.; Michalides, R.; de Moes, J.; Poort-Keesom, R.; Kroezen, V.; von Deimling, O.; Kominami, R.; Holmes, R. (1985). "Genetic differences in BALB/c sublines". *Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol.*. **122**: 19–30.

1. Southwick, C. H. & Clark, L. H. (1966). "Aggressive behaviour and exploratory activity in fourteen mouse strains". *Am. Zool.*. **6**: 559.

1. Eicher, E. M.; Beamer, W. G.; Washburn, L. L.; Whitten, W. K. (1980). "A cytogenetic investigation of inherited true hermaphroditism in BALB/cWt mice". *Cytogenet. Cell Genet.*. **28**: 104–115. [doi:10.1159/000131518](https://doi.org/10.1159/000131518). [PMID 7470243](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7470243)

1. ["BALB/cJ"](https://www.jax.org/strain/000651). *jax.org*. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

1. ["BALB/c Bagg's Albino"](https://insights.envigo.com/hubfs/resources/data-sheets/envigo-49-balbc-a4_screen.pdf). *insights.envigo.com*. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

1. ["Physiological Data Summary – BALB/cJ"](http://jackson.jax.org/rs/444-BUH-304/images/physiological_data_000651.pdf). *jackson.jax.org*. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

1. Harris, Dominique (2020). ["The BALB/c mouse as a preclinical model of the age-related deterioration in the lumbar vertebra"](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32480022/)

## External links

- [Jackson Laboratory's mouse strains](https://mice.jax.org/)
- [Taconic Biosciences' BALB/c model](https://www.taconic.com/mouse-model/balbc)
- [Balb/c mice – Horizon Discovery](https://www.horizondiscovery.com/balb-c-inbred-mouse-tgmbw) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180321192752/https://www.horizondiscovery.com/balb-c-inbred-mouse-tgmbw) 21 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [BALB/c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BALB%2Fc) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BALB%2Fc?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.