Frozen zoo: mammalian tissues and primary cells for aging research

University Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

Summary: The goal of the Frozen Zoo Biobank Resource Core within the Upstate NY Nathan Shock Center (Upstate NSC) is to provide investigators across the nation access to the unique resources for comparative biology studies including primary fibroblasts and frozen tissues from over 50 mammalian species with diverse maximum lifespans. Lifespans vary greatly between mammals and a comparative approach is a powerful strategy to identify key factors influencing the rate of aging. A serious limitation to the wide use of comparative biology approaches by the research community is the difficulty in obtaining cells and tissue from species that are non-standard laboratory organisms. To address this gap in resource availability and to provide investigators with high quality materials for comparative biology studies, we propose to create a Frozen Zoo Biobank Resource Core that will maintain primary cell and tissue collections. We anticipate that this resource will not only facilitate the studies by investigators already using comparative biology approaches but encourage investigators that are experts in processes highly relevant to aging research such as genome stability, proteostasis, metabolism, epigenetics, etc. to apply their tools and expertise to analyze species with diverse lifespans. The proposed Upstate NY NSC is uniquely positioned to develop the Comparative Biology Resource. The Core will be led by Drs. Gorbunova (Rochester) and Castelhano (Cornell). Dr. Gorbunova has made important contributions in comparative biology of aging and established a collection of primary fibroblasts and frozen tissues from 50+ wild species of mammals. These collections are easily depleted. The support from the NSC program will allow maintenance, distribution and further development of these resources generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Dr. Castelhano is a director of the Cornell Veterinary Biobank that houses unique collections of biospecimens from domestic dogs, cats and horses. The specific aims of the Frozen Zoo Resource Core are: (1) Provide advice on design of comparative biology of aging studies. Assist with the statistical analysis of comparative biology data including correction for confounding variables such as body mass and phylogeny. (2) Expand and optimize a multispecies biorepository with an integrated online platform to facilitate aging research through curated biological samples and associated data. Develop online catalogue geared towards investigators in the aging field. Facilitate sample sourcing through collaborative networks. (3) In collaboration with the Comparative-Omics core generate proteome and metabolome data sets from non-standard model organisms and make them available to researchers in the aging field. (4) Develop methods for generating iPSC from short- and long-lived mammalian species and establish an iPSCs cell bank for comparative biogerontological studies. (5) Maintain the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols for collection of samples from wild/non- standard mammalian species.