Abstract: A rat model of diabetic nephropathy is disclosed. In another embodiment of the invention, a method of evaluating a test compound's effect of diabetic nephropathy is disclosed. In one embodiment, this method comprises the steps of (a) exposing the test compound to the rat of claim 1, wherein the rat would develop progressive proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis leading to diabetic nephropathy in the absence of the test compound, and (b) comparing the rat's development of diabetic nephropathy with a control T2DN mimic rat that has not been exposed to the test compound.

Abstract: Collections of animals useful for evaluating effects of test agents are disclosed. The collections of animals are offspring of combinatorially mated inbred animals designed to maximize genetic diversity at selected genetic loci or across the genome.

Abstract: A new analytical strategy, termed physiological profiling, was developed that can capture physiological baselines and reveal relationships between particular phenotypes as a function of genotype in complex disease conditions. Physiological profiling offers a powerful strategy to visualize complex physiological processes. Combined with developing statistical analysis, this analytical tool is likely to facilitate our understanding of the biology of an organism.