Genetic map turns scourge into potential lifesaver

For its contributions to medical science and to the health and well-being of humankind, the lowly rat deserves to be elevated to the status of man's best friend. Rats will never catch a Frisbee or let the grown-ups know that little Billy's fallen down the abandoned mine shaft, but they've certainly given their lives millions of times over in helping scientists find treatments for the innumerable diseases that plague the world's population.

Now that an international team of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine has nearly mapped the approximately 2.75 billion DNA components that make up the rat — specifically the Norway rat — it will offer even more value as a means for improving human lives. The quest for the rodent's DNA blueprint, which took three years, cost $110 million and is about 90 percent complete, will provide invaluable insights into the role genes play in human ailments.