Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center (MMRRC) at UC Davis

ABSTRACT: Overall Section The Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center (MMRRC) is the nation’s premier mutant mouse archive and distribution repository system. The MMRRC was established by the NIH beginning in 1999 to ensure the preservation, dissemination, and development of scientifically valuable mutant mouse strains and data generated by research scientists. Today, the MMRRC plays a key role in supporting rigor and reproducibility of experimental results using mouse models in biomedical research. The MMRRC was constituted as a trans- national consortium of four regionally-distributed Centers each hosting an archive and distribution repository, one of which is located at UC Davis (MMRRC-UCD), and an Informatics Coordination and Service Center (ICSC), also located at UC Davis. In coordination with other members of the MMRRC consortium, this grant application seeks continuing support for the MMRRC-UCD to continue to serve the needs of the nation’s biomedical research community by ensuring access to, and optimizing utilization of, transgenic, knockout and other genetically modified mutant mice and related biomaterials (germplasm, embryonic stem (ES) cells, hybridomas, mouse tissues), services, and technologies. In coordination with the other Centers, the MMRRC- UCD shall import, verify, maintain, and distribute mutant mice, gene-targeted ES cells, murine hybridoma cell lines, and germplasm of genetically unique mice that are evaluated as useful and beneficial for contemporary translational biomedical research. The MMRRC-UCD shall also adopt consortium operating principles to provide consultation, technical assistance, and genomic and other resources to assist investigators create, modify, recover, and study genetically-altered mice for applied and translational research in numerous scientific areas, including cancer, neurodegenerative, neurosensory, metabolic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, developmental, genetic, and other diseases. In addition, in response to recommendations by the EAC to the consortium, the MMRRC-UCD shall commit funding to directly to assist the ICSC with increasing submissions of and orders for new mouse models from the research community. Finally, the MMRRC-UCD has presented to and sought approval from the other Center PIs on a resource-related research project designed to develop a new, reliable, and reproducible oocyte vitrification and cryorecovery protocol for use throughout the consortium. Working within the consortium, the MMRRC-UCD will continue to develop and refine improvements to technologies that add scientific value to submitted mutant mouse strains and operations of the MMRRC consortium. In this way, the MMRRC-UCD will participate in the consortium’s goal to preserve, protect, quality control, and distribute mouse models and provide services for a modest fee upon request to research scientists and investigators across the nation and around the globe. Through surveys and feedback from our users, discussions with our MMRRC consortium colleagues and NIH Program representatives, and engagement with the MMRRC External Advisory Committee (EAC) of experts, the MMRRC-UCD shall emphasize activities to be an active and engaged member of the MMRRC consortium and to enhance services to users among the biomedical research community for years to come.