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KM / ICR mice

Leveraging a high‑standard laboratory animal production base, we maintain a year‑round reserve of high‑quality KM and ICR mouse colonies, enabling the consistent supply of standardized, ready‑to‑use animals across multiple ages and body weights. With robust production capacity and an agile delivery system, we can provide large‑scale experimental mice on demand, significantly reducing procurement costs and lead times, thereby ensuring efficient, reliable animal resources for high‑throughput drug efficacy screening and safety assessment.

Strain Introduction

KM mice (Kunming mice) and ICR mice (Institute of Cancer Research mice) both belong to the albino outbred, closed‑colony strain group and are the most frequently used and widely applied general‑purpose laboratory mouse strains in biomedical research across China and worldwide. Both strains exhibit notable advantages, including high reproductive performance, excellent maternal care, exceptional adaptability, and an extensive body of background data, making them indispensable for a wide range of applications, such as pharmacological and toxicological evaluations, vaccine and immunology studies, the development of disease models, as well as routine teaching and breeding‑conservation programs.

KM mice are a closed colony of laboratory mice that were independently bred and continuously maintained in China. Named after Kunming, from which they were originally imported from India, they have undergone decades of closed‑line breeding, resulting in a genetically stable population while retaining a degree of heterozygosity. They are one of the most well‑known and widely used foundational models in domestic biomedical research. ICR mice, on the other hand, originated from Swiss mice selectively bred by Hauschka in the United States. Following international dissemination, they have become the “gold standard” for outbred mouse strains worldwide and enjoy irreplaceable regulatory acceptance in drug safety assessments, reproductive toxicology studies, and genotoxicity testing.

Product Advantages

Excellent reproductive performance

A single litter typically consists of 10–14 pups; the females exhibit excellent maternal care, resulting in high survival rates during lactation. With a short generation interval, this species enables rapid large-scale production of laboratory mice and efficient conservation and population expansion.

Strong environmental tolerance

It is compatible with various barrier‑housing conditions, tolerates routine experimental procedures, recovers rapidly from transport stress, and effectively reduces animal loss.

Baseline data is complete.

In the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, and immunology, a vast repository of historical control baseline data has been accumulated, facilitating cross‑study comparisons and enhancing the credibility of experimental results.

Complies with global regulatory standards

A universal model recommended by guidelines from the OECD, ICH, NMPA, and others, suitable for standard compliance studies in toxicology, developmental toxicity, and genotoxicity.

Wide range of applications and excellent value for money.

It can independently conduct pharmacological efficacy and safety assessments, and also serve as a donor or recipient for transplantation. With low husbandry costs and straightforward management, it is well suited for large‑scale experiments with limited budgets.

 

Data parameters

Strain Name KM mouse (Kunming mouse); ICR mouse (Institute of Cancer Research mouse)
Genetic classification Hybridization to establish outbred mouse strains
Fur color white
Gender Female/Male
Microbial Grade SPF grade
Available by week of age 3–8 weeks (please consult your regional sales representative if you need to order neonatal rats)

Application areas

KM mouse
● Preliminary drug efficacy screening: Used for the preliminary screening of central and peripheral pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects.
● Vaccines and Basic Immunization Evaluation: Conduct studies on vaccine immunogenicity and protective efficacy, as well as preliminary safety assessments of adjuvants.
● Chemically induced homologous disease models: It is capable of establishing conventional induction models, including liver injury, STZ‑induced diabetes, syngeneic tumor transplantation, and high‑fat‑diet‑induced obesity.
● Embryonic reproductive experimental vector: Superovulation, embryo transfer in pseudopregnant recipients, and high reproductive output make this approach well suited for embryo conservation.
● Basic Operations Instruction and Training: With a gentle temperament and moderate size, it is well-suited for training in basic procedures such as gavage, blood collection, and injection.
ICR mice
● Comprehensive GLP‑compliant toxicological evaluation: A globally applicable standardized model, compatible with acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, three‑generation reproductive toxicity, and micronucleus genotoxicity assays.
● Genetic and Reproductive Toxicology Testing: It is used for safety assessments related to sperm abnormalities, in vitro fertilization, micronucleus assays, and other mutation‑related endpoints.
● Tumor transplantation and metastasis models: Suitable for subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models, ideal for studies involving low-immunogenicity cell lines and tumor metastasis.
● Immunomodulators and biological product testing: Supports lymphocyte transformation, PFC antibody production, and the evaluation of delayed-type hypersensitivity.
● Metabolic syndrome model establishment: High-fat, high-sugar diets induce obesity and insulin resistance, and dietary interventions yield stable, reproducible phenotypes.

Breeding Techniques and Precautions

Strictly control inbreeding systems to mitigate genetic diversity.

Male rat control

Males are highly aggressive; if they were housed together in the same litter just four weeks ago, any signs of biting should result in immediate separation into individual cages.

 

Strictly control environmental stimuli to reduce experimental stress.

Metabolic Regulation

A high-fat diet readily induces obesity and insulin resistance, whereas a low-fat, quantitatively controlled diet is used to strictly regulate the body weight of young rats.

 

Standardize breeding management to improve the survival rate of pups.

Alcohol Model Monitoring

An innate preference for ethanol exists; alcohol administration requires a dual-bottle water supply and nutritional supplementation to prevent death from hypoglycemia.

 

Monitor age-related spontaneous lesions and eliminate experimental confounding.

Behavioral domestication

Stress and olfactory sensitivity were addressed by completing acclimatization prior to the experiment to eliminate inter-cage odor differences and ensure data stability.

 

Control male mouse fighting and standardize breeding practices.

Hearing Control

Spontaneous high-frequency hearing loss occurs between 3 and 6 months of age, and auditory-related experiments have been conducted exclusively using young mice.
 

Monitor age-related spontaneous lesions and eliminate experimental confounding.

Breeding and Conservation

Primiparous female rats are prone to stress-induced pup abandonment; avoid disturbing them within 48 hours of parturition, and separate the male from the female promptly after mating.

Literature support

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q1: What are the differences between KM and ICR mice, and how should one choose?

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A: Both KM mice and ICR mice are albino outbred strains maintained under closed colony conditions. Their key common features include high reproductive performance, strong adaptability, and moderate genetic heterozygosity. The main differences are as follows:

▪ Source and Sublineage Stability

KM mice constitute a domestically maintained, closed colony that has been independently propagated for several decades; subspecies within different breeding facilities may exhibit minor differences. In contrast, ICR mice are derived from a globally standardized international strain background, ensuring greater data comparability in multinational or multi-center studies.

▪ Weight and Growth Curve

At the same age, ICR mice typically weigh slightly more than KM mice and exhibit a faster growth rate, making them more commonly chosen for studies requiring short-term rapid weight gain or for weight‑dependent toxicology assays.

▪ Regulatory and Review Acceptance

In GLP‑compliant toxicology, reproductive toxicity, and genotoxicity studies that require full alignment with international regulatory submissions (FDA, EMA), ICR mice are more highly recommended due to the extensive OECD‑aligned reports and databases supporting their use. KM mice, meanwhile, are widely accepted in domestic registration applications, particularly well suited for routine pharmacodynamic screening and preclinical evaluation of innovative drugs developed in China.

▪ Selection Recommendations

If the study involves international multi-center data integration or GLP‑compliant drug safety assessments, ICR mice are recommended. For routine domestic pharmacological screening, teaching, vaccine evaluation, or large‑scale epidemiological modeling, KM mice offer better cost‑effectiveness and benefit from a more robust domestic breeding and supply network.
 

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