The Mouse Experimentation Core (MEC) Facility has been instrumental to the success of various research projects during Phases I and 11 of the Center for Colon Cancer Research (CCCR) and will continue to do so in Phase 111 and beyond. Its goal is to provide animal research support to the CCCR investigators of the University of South Carolina (USC) and investigators outside USC. The MEC has developed into a core facility that is responsive to the unique research needs of invesfigators. The following are its specific aims: 1) To provide breeding services in support of the research projects of the CCCR and USC investigators. The MEC personnel will breed and genotype mice, wean them to specific diets or experimental conditions, and deliver them, as needed, to facilitate the execution or animal experiments. 2) To provide the infrastructure within the animal housing facilities to facilitate the execution of animal experiments. The MEC will provide laboratory space, animal housing rooms, equipment, and reagents in a centralized location that is in close proximity to the animal housing rooms where investigators can maintain their colonies, execute complex experiments, and collect and analyze data from tissue specimens. 3) To provide expertise and personnel training on animal experimental procedures and fissure collection and analysis. The MEC will train investigators and their personnel and conduct workshops in collaboration with the other Cores to introduce new technologies and mouse models of colorectal and other cancers. 4) To provide expertise in the development and execution of experimental protocols and pilot projects. Building on years of experience working with genetic and orthotropic mouse models of CRC and on a cohort of collaborators across the USC campus and outside the university, the MEC will work with individual investigators to design and execute new projects to facilitate the timely acquisition of quality data for research, grant applications, and publications. The MEC will institute mechanisms to ensure the long term sustainability of this valuable core in order to continue to provide its valuable services to the USC research community and other enterprises outside of USC beyond the COBRE funding.
The use of mouse models is critical to understanding the biology of colorectal cancer and is indispensable in the development of methods for its accurate diagnosis, clinical management, treatment, and prevention. The Mouse Experimentation Core of the CCCR provides a platform within the animal housing facility where complex animal experiments can be conducted seamlessly by investigators from across the USC campus
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