athymic nude mice

Definition of athymic nude mouse

athymic nude mouse

(ay-THY-mik nood ...)
A type of laboratory mouse that is hairless, lacks a normal thymus gland, and has a defective immune system because of a genetic mutation. Athymic nude mice are often used in cancer research because they do not reject tumor cells, from mice or other species.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms