CORE--ANIMAL MODELS

University Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Animal Models Core Facility (Terry Van Dyke, Ph.D., Faculty Director; Randy Thresher, Ph.D., Facility Director) Experimental manipulation of the mouse has become a powerful tool for the study of cancer mechanisms and for the generation of human disease models. This requires a sophisticated and cost-effective facility with a wide selection of gene expression and deletion strategies. This requires a sophisticated and cost-effective facility with a wide selection of gene expression and deletion strategies. The Animal Models Core Facility will be led by Dr. Terry Van Dyke, who has successfully used animal models to explore neoplastic transformation for more than a decade, and a new Facility Director recently trained in innovative transgenic and gene targeting techniques. The Core will advise investigators in the design and follow-up of animal experiments; generate genetically modified cells and animals, provide basic support technologies; and develop new technologies. The facility provides assistance and guidance through the entire process of creating genetically modified mice, from building a DNA construct to phenotyping animals, a level of involvement that is critical, considering the difficulties that often arise in the creation of genetically modified animals. In late 1998, the Animal Models Facility reached an agreement with the Jackson Laboratories to develop new animal lines and new transgenic/gene targeting techniques; this collaboration will assure the facility a position at the forefront of technological developments in mouse genetic manipulation. The Center Core Support Grant (CCSG) funds requested ($138,480) will provide approximately 36 percent of the facility's projected annual budget, a level supported by the projected usage by LCCC members. Because the creation of a genetically modified mouse from a DNA molecule requires a highly skilled team, the largest, item in the budget is for personnel, including the Faculty Advisor (10%), Facility Director (75%), two Research Specialists (50-60%), and a Research Technician (25%).