This supplemental request supports work to expand the National Xenopus Resource (NXR)through the renovation of approximately 850 sq ft of space to allow for live animals to bemaintained in that space. The NXR is the national stock center for Xenopus laevis and Xenopustropicalis animals and was founded in 2010. The need for additional space stems from theincrease in genome editing technology that has revolutionized biomedical research, permittingthe creation of mutant Xenopus. This new space will be used to maintain, breed and distributemutant animals created by the Xenopus community, allowing access to these animals to allresearchers. This is a critical renovation since this is the only Xenopus stock center. Newlyfunded research projects have proposed to create Xenopus models of human disease usinggenome editing, and these animals will be housed in this new space. Over the last few yearsthere has been increased demand form the Xenopus community for custom mutant lines thatare produced by the NXR and the current infrastructure is unable to support these additionalmutant animals. This application requests funds to support the renovation of the space (HVAC,water, electrical, etc.) for the new Xenopus housing systems; the new equipment for housing hefrogs has already been budgeted in other NIH-funded grants.
Research using the amphibian Xenopus; because of unique advantages as an experimentalsystem; has revealed key insights in many domains of biomedical research; including cellbiology; development; neurobiology; physiology and signal transduction; achievements that aresupported by having a centralized National Xenopus Resource for raising and distributinganimals and disseminating the most current technology to the research community. Expansionof the NXR will benefit the entire Xenopus community and enhance research opportunities forall scientists.
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