At UNMC and across the country, the burgeoning field of genomics has led to an explosion in laboratory mouse populations. Researchers are hopeful it also may lead to an unprecedented potential in identifying genes that cause disease or in possible treatments.
On Friday, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved UNMC’s most pressing research infrastructure need — a $1.5 million containment and isolation facility for laboratory rodents in the existing 4230 Building on campus.
“Our daily research mouse population has grown from approximately 3,000 to 14,000 mice within the past three years,” said Don Leuenberger, UNMC’s vice chancellor for business and finance. “That growth is a direct result of UNMC’s goal to grow the research enterprise, along with an explosive growth in the variety of genetically modified mice available for use as models of specific human diseases.”
Booming mouse populations
UNMC is not alone. Stanford University has watched its mouse population double since 1997 to its present number of approximately 85,000 and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., is building a new, state-of-the-art facility to house approximately 100,000 rodents when it opens next year.
“UNMC’s project is critical to the success of existing and future research efforts that use mutant rodent models,” Leuenberger said. “It also will assist us in recruiting and retaining researchers whose work depends on the use of genetically modified mice.”
Rodents as surrogates
Rodents have long been used as human surrogates as they are relatively similar to humans in terms of genetics. Since the late 1980s, researchers have been able to breed transgenic mice, in which an extra gene has been added, and “knockout” mice, in which a gene has been removed. That has helped researchers look at how specific genes work and interact with one another and has yielded hope to better understanding diseases, as well as possibly treating, curing or preventing them.
Thomas Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research at UNMC, expects continued dramatic growth in UNMC’s mouse population as researchers are recruited who require their own transgenic mice or access to other transgenic mice. “It’s important that we pay attention to the animal care infrastructure because the colony will continue to get bigger,” he said.
Genetically modified animals are expensive and require specialized environments to ensure they remain healthy and do not compromise research results. UNMC — which also creates genetically modified mice in the laboratory — does not have the appropriate quantity or quality of space where mutant research rodents can be received, quarantined, isolated and if necessary, re-derived, Leuenberger said.
Building facilities for laboratory rodents
UNMC’s proposed 14,306 gross square foot project includes constructing a laboratory rodent quarantine, isolation and re-derivation facility (infectious agents are removed from the mouse strain through cesarean section or embryo transfer to uninfected animals or space where duplicate animals can be housed to reduce risk of the loss of a particular strain of mice). Located remotely from current animal housing areas, the animals would be housed in flexible film isolators and handled only in a sterile environment. Each isolator would act to contain any infection the animals may have or house animals that are free of infectious agents.
Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in October and end in February 2003. Funding will come from the College of Medicine.
Care, safety of lab animals
The care and use of laboratory animals at UNMC is based on national guidelines and federal regulations. UNMC’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) – the institutional review board equivalent for animals – has been accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care since 1966.
“The care and safety of all of our research animals is assured because of the IACUC,” Dr. Rosenquist said.
Campus defers project
On Friday, the regents also accepted a report deferring the construction of research laboratories in the 4230 Building. In December, the board approved the renovation of approximately 33,000 gross square feet to help support UNMC’s growing research enterprise. In light of budget constraints, UNMC has reconsidered plans to complete the project prior to occupancy of its new Research Center of Excellence, a 10-level research building which is expected to open in September 2003.