The Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRC) were created in 1999 to meet the increasing demand for a centralized resource for archiving and distributing genetically modified mouse strains to the research community. The Centers are part of a multi-institutional, nationally distributed resource program with four repositories located strategically in the Western (University of California-Davis), Central (University of Missouri), and Eastern (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and The Jackson Laboratory) USA, and a single, centralized Informatics, Coordination and Service Center (ICSC at University of California- Davis) that provides a single interface to the scientific user community. The common goal is to provide mouse model resources and research support services to the research community. In addition, the centers use their expertise to research and implement new related technologies. As the production of genetically engineered mice has increased dramatically, the centers have expanded to include an inventory of over 32,527 mutant and genetically engineered mouse strains maintained as live colonies, cryopreserved germplasm, and embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and have filled ~4,080 orders from ~3550 investigators at over 2000 institutions worldwide. In a nationally distributed, multi-institutional program with a common goal, there is a critical need for high level of coordinated communication. Day-to day operations, management and development of short term strategies are discussed by email as well as in monthly teleconferences between key personnel at all of the Centers and NIH program staff and periodic teleconferences for subgroups addressing specific Center needs. However, there is no real substitute for regular in-person meetings;therefore, this proposal requests funding for the MMRRC to organize and plan annual meetings over the coming five year period. Such annual meetings are critical to 1) provide sufficient time and face-to-face interactions to review progress and discuss short- and long-term planning strategies to ensure that the MMRRC Program continues to evolve to serve the rapidly evolving needs of the scientific community and 2) provides a venue for showcasing the MMRRC program to NIH officers and other relevant members of the scientific community and inviting their input.
Mouse genetic models have been developed in large numbers by the biomedical research community as a fundamental tool for examining the genetic pathways underlying human disease conditions and for improving our understanding of human disease susceptibility and the implications for medicine and human health. By serving as a standardized central repository for importing, archiving and distributing mutant mouse strains, the MMRRC protects this valuable resource and provides access to the biomedical research community.
