The instant invention relates to a transgenic, non-human animal that carries a mutation in the gene encoding C-reactive protein (CRP). Preferably, the invention relates to an animal comprising a homozygous CRP-deficient mouse and techniques for producing such animals. The invention also relates to organs, tissues, cells, cell lines and sub-cellular fractions derived from such animals. Techniques for generating total or tissue-specific CRP knockout animals are also described. The invention further relates to the use of such knockout animals for the study of the role of CRP proteins in vivo or ex vivo, particularly in relation to its role in inflammatory pathway and in the etiology human diseases.