The Animal Model Research Core facility of the NORC is to facilitate the research efforts of investigators pursuing scientific problems relevant to obesity and nutrition that involve murine models. The Core, since its inception more than a decade ago, has focused on providing services that will enhance the translational potential of animal research to increase the likelihood that research activities will lead to clinically meaningful results. Core services include: providing genetically engineered mice;performing biochemical assays of serum and tissue from mouse models;imunocytochemistry;performing in vivo metabolic testing (including metabolc rate, blood pressure, glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance testing, hyperinsulinemic/euglycemic clamp procedures, and body composition determinations);providing facilities for mRNA assays and atherosclerosis assays;and providing training and consultation for animal maintenance and phenotyping. During this last funding period, the Core assisted young investigators as they established their careers in nutrition and obesity research, attracted senior investigators from other scientific disciplines to nutrition research, and supported nutritional researchers as they made important observations with clear translational potential. This was accomplished by performing nearly 39,000 biochemical assays of mouse serum, over 3,200 biochemical assays of tissues, characterizing 278 mice by indirect calorimetry, measuring blood pressure in 738 mice, performing 3,812 body composition determinations in mice, and providing over 100 clock hours of training in nutrition-related techniques, among other activities. The Core has benefited from synergies achieved through joint operation with the Mouse Phenotyping Core ofthe NlDDK-funded Washington University Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) and substantial institutional investments. In the next funding period, the Core plans to maintain our tradition of excellence through continued service, training and support, and to enhance our capabilities by offering in vivo animal imaging to NORC investigators performing research in obesity and nutrition.
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