The University of Rochester Center for Cardiovascular Research (CCVR) has recognized the need for multi-user Facility Cores designed to furnish CCVR investigators with expertise, service and instrumentation to enhance ongoing research programs and to facilitate new research endeavors. By meeting the needs of the CCVR investigators in a consolidated fashion, we can be more efficient in personnel effort and in equipment utilization and, in many cases, provide both service and research input unavailable to the individual investigator. Accordingly, the Histology Core will provide all infrastructure and technical support to fix, embed, section, and process animal tissues for routine staining and histomorphometry as well as such specialized methods as immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (both whole mount and slide). The Core will institute a database for slide collation and, when necessary, data interpretation. In this manner, all Project leaders will have immediate access to data within each project, which should facilitate the planning and/or modification of subsequent studies. The Core will also serve as a training ground for key technology transfer to each Project's staff. For example, all of the basic science projects propose studies in the LDLR-/- mouse wherein histomorphometry will be done to assess the effects of various transgenes on plaque area. Histomophometric analyses require a lot of tech time, which would infringe on time needed for tissue processing and stamping to slides. We anticipate that by transferring this technology to staff under each project, the workload within the Histology Core facility will be lightened significantly. This has the advantage of minimizing the hiring of additional personnel within the Histology Core, while maximizing the use of technical staff under each Project leader's direction.
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