In fiscal year 2013, this Core continues to microinject constructs for the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program and their collaborators;both linear derived fragments of genomic DNA and BAC clones have been microinjected into the pronucleus of inbred and F2 hybrid mouse strains, depending on the goal of the experiment. We continue to perform in vitro fertilization (IVF), which we started in fiscal year 2010. IVF of MCGP mouse lines is a way to accelerate colony expansion for experimental research. IVF is a way to rapidly expand a mouse colony to generate large numbers of age, sex &genotypically matched cohorts for experimental use without vastly expanding the number of breeding cages on the shelf. With IVF we can save on cage space, time, and costs as well as accelerate the time it takes to initiate experiments, IVF is basically a more efficient means to expand a mouse colony in a short amount of time. Another way we are trying to save money is to maintain colonies of mice that we use in great quantity or mice that are extremely expensive to buy, such as C57BL/6J, FVB/NJ, B6D2F1/J, Athymic nudes and Jax B6.CB17-Scid. In August of 2012 our Core was also asked to also start maintaining 4 Cre and reporter lines used most often by MCGP Labs. With the TFC maintaining these lines there would be 1 colony of each line being maintained instead of each lab having their own individual colony and the TCF would act as a central distribution center, (an average cost on many of these Cre or Flpe lines coming from Jax is $232/mouse, just the cost of 4 of these mice would cover the cost of keeping six cages of mice on the shelf for a year).To date the TCF has saved the MCGP well over $346,000 in the past 3 years by raising the 5 stocks listed above along with the centralization of the Cre, Flpe and reporter lines we are now maintaining. We continue performing tumor cell injections for two labs, Brad St. Croix &Terry Van Dyke. We are still performing castrations for prostate cancer studies, as well as hormone pellet implants for Yurong Song from the Terry Van Dyke Lab. Starting in May of 2013 the TCF was asked to maintain a 1000 plus cage colony and monitor aging animals for Karlyne Reilly. We perform tumor measurements for both Terry Van Dyke and Karlynne Reilly. We continue to train Post-docs and technicians on various procedures involving the mice and mouse work, as we receive requests. For our microinjection Core, we continue to set up an average of 150 - 200 timed pregnancies per week/35 weeks/year, vasectomize 400 mice per year, send out animal shipments as well as interbuilding transfers, for which we initiated all Material Transfer Agreements as needed. A full list of services we provide investigators include microinjection, IVF, surgeries (which include embryo transfers, vasectomies, castrations, ovary transfers, ovariectomies, splenectomies mammary biopsies, mammary fat pad injections and intraductal mammary gland injections), breeding, weaning, tail biopsies, timed pregnancies, necropsies, palpation &measurement of tumors, injections, blood collection, rederivation, photography, monitoring aging studies, sending animals to histopathology, train technicians, post-docs and investigators how to perform different procedures, initiate material transfer agreements, arrange animal shipments, data entry and database management. The Transgenic Core Facility makes its own media and anesthetics used within the facility. We acid wash all of our own glassware, make all our own injection needles, holding pipettes and transfer pipettes. The Transgenic Core Facility also makes all our own microinjection dishes, which allows the injector to work with 150-200 embryos at a time instead of the standard 50 that depression slides hold. The Transgenic Core Facility is truly a multifaceted operation in that we can take care of just one aspect of a researchers mouse colony needs or we can manage the entire colony from the creation of the transgenic mice lines to the lines final disposition and run all their experiments. In 2013 we performed work for 12 different labs, maintaining experimental mouse lines for six of the 12 labs. The labs we are either managing the mouse colonies, training personnel, running mouse experiments and/or labs we have performed microinjection, in vitro fertilization and/or surgeries for in 2013 are all listed below. Cancer Pathways and Mechanisms - Terry Van Dyke, Neural Development Section - Lino Tessarollo, Stem Cell Regulation and Animal Aging Section - Steven Hou, Tumor Angiogenesis Section - Brad St. Croix, Genetics of Cancer Susceptibility Section - Shyam Sharan, Epigenetics of DNA Repair and Aging Section - Philipp Oberdoerffer, RNA Processing in Cellular Development Section - Shalini Oberdoerffer, Vascular Biology Section - P. Charles Lin, Genetics of Vertebrate Development Section - Mark Lewandoski, Epigenetics Section - Kathrin Muegge, Genetic Modifiers of Tumorigenesis Section - Karlyne Reilly and Leukocyte Signaling Section - Daniel McVicor
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