ANIMAL STUDIES CORE I. OVERVIEW OF CHANGES TO THE CORE During the current funding cycle, the Animal Studies Core has been revised with respect both to its organizational structure and to the scope and sophistication of services offered to Affiliate Investigators. These changes have been made possible, in part, through a major increase of institutional commitment in support of the Core's various functions and due to the changing needs of Affiliate Investigators. The following summary highlights these changes: ? Organizational changes. Prior to this competing renewal, the CNRU supported basic animal research through two distinct Core laboratories - the Rodent Energy Metabolism and Body Composition Core (Dr. Michael Schwartz, Director) and the Nutrient Gene Core (Dr. Renee LeBoeuf, Director). To better meet the needs of Affiliate Investigators (and in response to input from our External Advisory Board), these two Core laboratories are now merged into a single entity termed the """"""""Animal Studies Core"""""""", with Dr. Schwartz serving as Director, Dr. LeBoeuf as Co-Director, and Dr. Gregory Morton as Associate Director. ? Institutional commitment. To meet expanding demand for Core services, and in conjunction with the implementation of the new NIH-funded Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC), the University of Washington School of Medicine has committed new, state-of-the-art research space and animal housing space within its newest biomedical research facility located at the South Lake Union (SLU) campus in downtown Seattle. Institutional funds have also been committed by UW in support of this program, as summarized below: ? Research space. Included is an approximate doubling of space for metabolic cage studies, expanding this resource from its current size (8 mouse and 4 rat cages;total of 12 cages) to accommodate 16 cages for rats and 16 for mice (total of 32 cages). New wet lab space will also be made available both for surgical procedures (e.g., implantation of body temperature monitor and chronic indwelling venous and arterial line insertion) and in vivo study procedures (e.g., glucose clamp studies), reflecting an overall marked expansion of research space committed to the Animal Studies Core. (Equipment funds are requested to support this expansion;see Animal Studies Core Budget.) ? Adjacent animal housing space. In addition to wet lab space, new animal housing quarters will be installed adjacent to the Animal Studies Core laboratory, allowing study animals received from Affiliate Investigators to be boarded until such time as studies are performed, averting the potential risk to animals located in the regular animal housing area, one floor below the Core laboratory. ? Creation of a new UW Obesity/Diabetes Center of Excellence, based at the SLU campus. A key priority of this Center will be to meet current and future animal research needs of investigators involved in obesity research. Additional priorities include support for junior investigators, additional pilot and feasibility funding, and promotion of interdisciplinary research across programs, departments and schools both within and outside of UW. ? Transfer of some services to the Analytic Core. During previous funding cycles, the Nutrient Gene Core participated in limited numbers of microassays of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, which now has largely been taken over by the Analytic Core. However, staff of the Genetics Component of the Animal Studies Core will continue to teach and advise with respect to quantification of mRNA species, thereby enabling Affiliate Investigators to set up appropriate tests in their own laboratory. Techniques include mRNA isolation from adipose and other tissues. Services offered directly by the Animal Studies Core are: Physiology Component (Dr. Morton, Associate Director): ? indirect calorimetry (e.g., metabolic rate, heat production) ? locomotor activity/total physical activity ? meal pattern analysis/continuous measures of total daily food and water intake ? continuous body temperature monitoring ? noninvasive body composition analysis ? biopsy sample triglyceride content ? euglycemic glucose clamp Genetics Component (Dr. LeBoeuf, Director): ? genotyping of mutant models ? breeding strategy for mouse colonies ? quantitative PCR of mRNA in tissue samples ? Meal preparation for nutritional interventions ? Bone marrow transplantation procedures Services offered indirectly via affiliated cores, with the Animal Studies Core serving as a conduit are: ? Diabetes complications (microvascular, macrovascular, cardiac) ? Molecular biology (gene sequencing, riboprobe preparation) ? Insulin secretion/islet morphology ? Creation of transgenic mice These services will be performed on a fee-for-service basis by the Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center (DERC), the new Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC), and the Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH). Arrangements have been made with these Centers (see letters of collaboration) for CNRU Affiliate Investigators to have access to the services noted above.
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