THIS is the mouse which could save your life and the lives of your children and grandchildren.

From the tip of his genetically-modified whiskers to the end of his pink tail, he could be worth his weight in gold if he can help scientists at Newcastle University crack the genetic code of many diseases.

But his very existence could turn the North-East unit into an ideological battleground between the animal rights activists - who argue against creatures being bred solely for experiments - and the scientists, who are determined to carry out research which could benefit millions.

Newcastle University has announced it is investing £2m in a new unit which will create a race of genetically-modified mice.

By altering the genetic make-up of white laboratory mice and observing the effects through many generations, scientists believe they will develop a better understanding of many inherited diseases.

Already, using funds donated by the late Catherine Cookson, mice have been bred to carry the gene which caused the rare disease which ultimately killed the famous North-East author.

Observing the mice has helped give the Newcastle scientists a better understanding of the disease, which causes severe internal bleeding, and they believe a cure may now be in sight.

The unit hopes it will go on to examine birth defects in children, such as hole in the heart babies, along with new work on the causes of dementia, heart disease and cancer.

The "transgenic" mice used in the lab are currently bought from the handful of UK centres which breed the specialised rodents.

Newcastle University has set up its own unit which academics say is essential if the centre is to become a world-class contender in the field of genetic medical research

Professor John Burn, one of the UK's leading medical geneticists and the medical director of the Institute of Medical Genetics in Newcastle, said: "As a doctor my job is to find a cure for genetic disease and I an convinced that the only way to do that is to have transgenic mice to work with.

"We hope that even those who are opposed to animal work in general will recognise this."

But last night, the Animal Liberation Front warned that any centre which has a Home Office licence to carry out animal research was "a legitimate target".

Spokesman Robin Webb said: "We are opposed to the use of any animal in research or testing.

"It is quite immoral to use sentient creatures in this way merely because we have the power to do so."

Demonstrations by animal rights activists almost forced the closure of Huntingdon Life Sciences laboratories in Cambridgeshire recently.

Professor Burn said he believed the North-East public would support him. "I would be the first to shout 'Hurrah' if there was a way of doing this research without the mice because they are smelly, expensive and they bring you a lot of hassle from the lunatic fringe," he said.

"We do this not for fun, but because it is necessary. The idea that you can do this through computer simulation is absolutely wrong."

The professor was joined by one of his patients, Sheila Henderson, from Whitley Bay, who has the same blood condition as Catherine Cookson.

She said she wanted to support the work of the unit because there was the hope that one day it could lead to a cure for her condition.

But Dr Tom Shakespeare, director of the Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Unit at the International Centre for Life, sounded a note of caution.

"I think mouse genetics offers the way forward for understanding many diseases, but it also raises ethical issues about the treatment of animals," he said.

"We will be holding a major public meeting so members of the public can air their views on this important issue."