The main animal facility at the Salk Institute (Cancer Research Animal Facility, or CRAF) contains 24,000 gsf of space and houses 1,000 cages of mice, many transgenic, plus several other species of animals. A separate transgenic mouse facility, contains 8,000 gsf and 3,000 cages of transgenic mice, was completed in 1995. A planned addition to the CRAF, to be completed in the next five years, will comprise 24,000 gsf. The addition will be used exclusively for transgenic animals. A special transgenic core laboratory for microinjection as developed during the previous grant period with core grant support. Services provided by the transgenic core laboratory include microinjection of embryonic stem (ES) cells into blastocysts, microinjection of DNA into one-cell embryos, providing neo-resistant mice for generating feeder cells for ES cell culture, providing inbred strains of mice, re-derivation of mouse lines, and establishment of ES cell lines from wild-type and mutant mice. The core laboratory is operated by a research assistant skilled in these techniques. The core laboratory is operated by a research assistant skilled in these techniques. The core laboratory is equipped with two microinjection microscope, one cooling stage, one needle puller, one needle grinder, one microforge, one incubator, two stereomicroscopes, and surgical instruments, all of which are housed in an isolated procedure room in the newly-constructed transgenic facility. The core microinjection laboratory maintains a mouse colony in a holding room adjacent to the procedure room. The colony houses stud and vasectomized males, and females used as embryo donors or pseudopregnant recipients.
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