Shared Resource: Comparative Medicine

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Comparative Medicine Shared Resource Project Summary The Comparative Medicine Shared Resource (CMSR) provides a broad variety of animal housing, veterinary, and research support services, and, new to this application, patient-derived-xenografts from the Consortium Xenograft Resource (CCXR) for Consortium members. The facility is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) and complies with all United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Public Health Service (PHS), Washington State and local area animal welfare regulations. Comprehensive animal husbandry services are provided for all vertebrate animals used in the Consortium's programs of research. The species of animals housed and supported include fish, mouse, rat, guinea pig and dog. The goals are to provide Consortium members with the highest quality service for research activities including: ? Comprehensive animal husbandry and care; ? Veterinary support; ? Technical support for research activies involving animals; ? Access to patient-derived-xenografts; ? Pathology services; and ? Imaging support in collaboration with the Translational Bioimaging Core Shared Resource. The CMSR seeks opportunties to strengthen or expand services as necessary to further advance the research of the Consortium Programs. For example, the new CCXR service was developed to support the maturation of the Tumor Models developing shared resource, which was was established during the current project period to provide mouse models for understanding the biology of human cancers, particularly focusing on prostate and hematopoietic cancers. To continue expanding access to mouse xenograft models for a wide range of tumors, we recently established a collaboration with the Jackson Laboratories Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) Consortium, and these activities have been integrated with the CMSR.