Animal Core: The main goal of the Alcohol Research Center (ARC) is to study molecular mechanisms that underlie pathophysiology associated with alcohol abuse and alcoholism. All of the Research Components in the ARC utilize animal models of organ, brain, or behavioral pathology. To facilitate and coordinate this effort, the ARC will operate a centralized Animal Core that is responsible for conducting routine, standardized procedures.
The Aims of the Animal Core are to: 1) Maintain and monitor specialized populations required for research components. The core will purchase, house, and oversee breeding colonies of specialized rodent strains (e.g., knockout mice). In conjunction with the Genotyping and Gene Delivery Core, typing of these specialized strains will also be performed as needed for each research component. 2) Treat animals with specialized ethanol diets. Investigators will be able to rely on the Animal Core to prepare specialized ethanol-containing diets, provide specially-prepared animals for treatments, and consult with researchers in alcohol exposure protocols. Diet formulations for both enteral (e.g., Tsukamoto-French) and ad libitum protocols will be maintained by the animal core. 3) Provide standardized measures of ethanol exposure. The core facility maintains equipment and reagents for determining alcohol concentrations in vivo, including breath (by GC), blood (GC or enzymatic), and urine (enzymatic). Furthermore, the core will consult with researchers on estimating alcohol levels through behavioral indices (e.g., Majchrowicz scale) so that alcohol levels can be carefully controlled in test subjects, even under conditions where regular monitoring of alcohol concentrations is not possible.
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