The Mouse and Transplantation Core will have overall responsibilities for training all Projects in the transplantation of skin allografts and monitoring for graft survival. It will also have responsibility for maintenance, treatment, and surgical manipulation of virus treated experimental animals in BSL2/3 level biocontainment. All Program Project experiments will utilize VAF animals housed in a VAF facility or in a limited access biocontainment facility designed to maintain the highest degree of cleanliness. The emphasis on strict limited-access biocontainment will preclude cross-contamination and corruption of outcomes by unintended infectious agents. The objectives and responsibilities of the Animal Core Unit are as follows: By administering or training personnel in proper administration of reagents, including viruses, anti-CDI 54 mAb, other monoclonal antibodies, cells, TLR agonists, and other specific agents to be developed in the course of the Program to animals in VAF and in biocontainment. By preparing hematopoietic """"""""synchimeras,"""""""" an animal model system that is crucial for the success of Projects 1-3. Procurement of cells, biopsy and autopsy specimens for histological and flow cytometric analysis from animals in biocontainment. Animal Core personnel will perform or assist with performing skin grafts for all Projects. Serological testing of experimental animals to document that infection has occurred and that there is no cross-contamination. In brief, the Mouse and Transplantation Core will provide essential assistance and personnel training to each Project with the management and execution of in vivo studies conducted in defined VAF facilities and in strictly controlled infectious conditions in biocontainment.
The Animal Core will provide essential service to all of the Projects in the Program regarding animal handling, use of infectious agents in animals, and transplantation procedures. Transplantation of islets and skin are specialized procedures that are used in this Program to study how viruses and new drugs affect graft survival in patients in the clinic. These transplantation techniques must be standardized between laboratories for evaluation of the information regarding virus interaction with drugs and graft suivival
Showing the most recent 10 out of 118 publications
