Office for Research and Graduate Studies (ORAGS)

Transgenic Core

Scientific Objectives:

The main objective of the Transgenic Core Facility at UM-SOM is to provide the expertise, equipment, and technology to produce and preserve genetically modified mouse models for researchers. A second objective is to provide advice and consultation to investigators in the design of transgenic experiments, analysis of transgenic models,  and maintaining transgenic colonies. A third objective is to constantly examine and test new techniques and expand the range of services available to the community.

Personnel:

Director: Valerie J. Stewart, M.S.

Ms. Stewart trained in micro-injection techniques in the laboratory of Dr. Fred Alt at Columbia University in New York, beginning in 1990. She later moved with Dr. Alt to Children's Hospital, Boston, and worked concurrently as lab manager and transgenic supervisor, with two assistants. In 1995, she moved to the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, to establish a Transgenic/Knockout Mouse Facility there.  In April 2003, she was recruited to establish the Transgenic Core Facility at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She has 15 years experience in micro-injection techniques, and 8 years as a core facility director.

Research Assistant: Dennis J. Wilson, M.S.

Dennis Wilson has 18 years experience working in a laboratory environment. He spent 6 years working peripherally on transgenic swine and mouse projects at the American Red Cross. He spent 5 years at Johns Hopkins managing a hybridoma facility. He has been training for the past year under Ms. Stewart, and has produced several transgenic founders and knockouts on his own. His expertise in PCR has led to his developing a DNA purification/PCR genotyping service for the Transgenic Core Facility.

Faculty Advisory Committee:

Dr. Frank Margolis  Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology UM School of Medicine
Dr. Jodi Flaws   Dept. of Epidemiology   UM School of Medicine
Dr. Krishna Chandrasekaran Dept. of Anesthesiology  UM School of Medicine
Dr. Mike Vogel  Dept. of Psychiatry/MPRC  UM School of Medicine
Dr. Meenakshi Chellaiah  Dept. of Biomedical Sciences  UM Dental School
Dr. Toni Antalis  Dept. of Physiology/UMBBioPark UM School of Medicine
Dr. Amy Fulton  Dept. of Pathology   UM SOM/UMMS
   
List of Satisfied Users/Customers:

Dr. Krishna Chandrasekaran, Dept. of Anesthesiology
Dr. Daniel Sussman, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. David Litwack, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Dr. Alan Shuldiner, Dept. of Medical Endrocrinology
Dr. Da-Wei Gong, Dept. of Medicine
Dr. Anne Hamburger, Department of Pathology
Dr. Frank Margolis, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Dr. Ronald Gartenhaus, Greenebaum Cancer Center
Dr. Elizabeth Powell, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology  

Equipment:

Micro-Injection
(2) Xenoworks micro-injection systems with Olympus IX-71 inverted microscopes equipped with DIC and phase contrast optics
(2) Nikon SMZ-1000 dissecting scopes
Nikon SMZ-645 microscope for animal surgery
Nuaire 425 biological safety cabinet for animal surgery
Sutter P-97 pipet puller
GlassWoRx F-1200 DeFonbrune type microforge

Electroporation
Bio-Rad Gene Pulser XCell system with Shockpod chamber

Cryopreservation
FTS Bio-Cool III controlled rate freezer
Taylor-Wharton HC34 liquid nitrogen cryogenic refrigerator

Tissue Culture
(2) Sanyo incubators
Nuaire 425 biological safety cabinet
Olympus CKX41 inverted microscope

Pricing:

No guarantee with any injections, but repeats done as warranted.

For pronuclear injections into the C57BL/6NCr strain, a surcharge of $250 will be charged. We recommend that investigators consider using B6 hybrids such as B6C3 or B6SJL for pronuclear injections as they are more efficient in generating transgenic founders. We mate hybrid females to C57BL/6NCr males, so the founders' background strain is >50% B6 at the outset.

Please be aware that outside institutions are assessed a surchage to our normal prices as follows:

• 25% Academic and Non-Profit Institutions
• 50% Commercial Entities
• We are currently unable to do cryopreservations for outside institutions.

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