National Ferret Research and Resource Institute (NFRRI) at University of Iowa

爱荷华大学国家雪貂研究与资源研究所 (NFRRI)

• 批准号: 10596901
• 负责人: JOHN F ENGELHARDT
• 金额: $ 797.5万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-20 至 2027-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10596901
• 关键词: 2019-nCoV; Affect; Biomedical Research; Biotechnology; Brain Diseases; Cell Compartmentation; Cells; Cellular biology; Contracts; Cost Sharing; Cystic Fibrosis; Disease; Drug or chemical Tissue Distribution; Enterobacteria phage P1 Cre recombinase; Equipment; Farm; Ferrets; Foundations; Funding; Future; Genetic; Genetic Engineering; Genome; Goals; Housing; Image; Institutes; Iowa; Location; Lung diseases; Microinjections; Modeling; Mus; Mutation; Nebulizer; Operative Surgical Procedures; Organ; Pancreatic Diseases; Pulmonary function tests; Research; Research Personnel; Resources; Services; Sterility; Strategic Planning; Technology; United States Department of Agriculture; Universities; Vertebral column; design; design and construction; genomic locus; human disease; human model; infectious disease model; mouse model; next generation; pre-clinical; recruit; research facility; research study; stem cells; synergism; therapy development; zygote

While genetic mouse models have been the backbone of translational biomedical research for the past four decades, mice often fail to model human disease due to species-specific differences in the cell biology of the affected organs, as well as the evolutionary divergence of their genome. The ferret has proven an excellent species for modeling infectious disease (including SARS-CoV2) and human diseases of the brain, pancreas, and lung when mice have failed. The University of Iowa (UI) is the only location in the world capable of genetically engineering ferrets with multiple precise genetic alterations previously only achievable in mice. This technology has enabled the construction of genetic ferret models capable of fate mapping stem cell compartments (i.e., lineage tracing), modeling human diseases including those with humanized genetic loci, and conditional genetics using Cre recombinase. A federally-funded National Ferret Research and Resource Center was formed eight years ago, which provides services for the creation of new genetic ferret models, performing research studies in ferrets, and the distribution of tissues and cells from existing genetic lines. This national resource has provided services to more than 129 academic investigators,108 of which are outside the UI, and currently has 8 contracts with biotechnology companies seeking to develop therapies for genetic and acquired diseases using ferret models. These services have exceeded the capacity of facilities for both performing research in ferrets and housing ferrets on the UI campus. This proposal seeks to design and construct a research facility that will house the National Ferret Research and Resource Institute (NFRRI) on the UI campus. The proposed facility has been designed to maximize synergy and minimize overlap with existing facilities at UI and will be adjacent and connected to existing ferret expansion housing (referred to as the BSRF facility). The NFRRI will contain state- of-the-art equipment for genetically engineering ferret zygotes and performing research in ferrets. Procedural space will include a USDA-compliant sterile surgical suite and separate microinjection room for model creation. In addition to wet lab research space, specialized procedural suites will accommodate nebulization, pulmonary function testing, and specialized imaging equipment. The NFRRI will primarily provide services to academic investigators outside UI and for-profit biotechnology companies, but will also provide ferret models for research that will occur on the main UI campus in existing research facilities. Furthermore, the chosen location for the facility has adjacent land for future expansion of research space and ferret housing with a long-term strategic plan that recruits next-generation leaders of the NFRRI and capitalizes on existing relationships with for-profit biotechnology companies seeking to develop therapies for human diseases in preclinical ferret models. The short- and long-term strategic goals of the NFRRI will be facilitated through financial partnerships with the University of Iowa (cost sharing of the NFRRI building), Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Marshall Farms (the largest breeder of ferrets for research).

虽然遗传小鼠模型在过去四年中一直是转化生物医学研究的支柱 几十年来，由于细胞生物学的物种特异性差异，小鼠常常无法模拟人类疾病。 受影响的器官，以及其基因组的进化分歧。雪貂已被证明是一个优秀的 用于模拟传染病（包括 SARS-CoV2）和人类脑部、胰腺、 当小鼠失败时，会检测到肺。爱荷华大学 (UI) 是世界上唯一能够进行基因研究的大学 对雪貂进行多种精确的基因改造，以前只能在小鼠身上实现。这项技术 已经能够构建能够绘制干细胞区室命运图谱的遗传雪貂模型（即， 谱系追踪），对人类疾病进行建模，包括具有人源化基因座的疾病和条件遗传学 使用Cre重组酶。联邦政府资助的国家雪貂研究和资源中心成立八 几年前，该公司为创建新的遗传雪貂模型提供服务，并在 雪貂，以及现有遗传系的组织和细胞的分布。该国家资源提供了 为超过 129 名学术研究人员提供服务，其中 108 名在 UI 之外，目前拥有 8 份合同 与生物技术公司合作，寻求利用雪貂开发遗传性疾病和后天性疾病的疗法 模型。这些服务超出了雪貂研究设施的能力 在伊利诺伊大学校园内饲养雪貂。该提案旨在设计和建造一个研究设施，该设施将容纳 伊利诺伊大学校园内的国家雪貂研究和资源研究所 (NFRRI)。拟议的设施已 旨在最大限度地发挥协同作用并最大限度地减少与伊利诺伊大学现有设施的重叠，并将毗邻并 连接到现有的雪貂扩展外壳（称为 BSRF 设施）。 NFRRI 将包含国家- 用于雪貂受精卵基因工程和雪貂研究的最先进设备。程序 该空间将包括符合美国农业部标准的无菌手术室和用于模型创建的独立显微注射室。 除了湿实验室研究空间外，专门的程序套件还将容纳雾化、肺 功能测试和专门的成像设备。 NFRRI 将主要为学术界提供服务 UI 和营利性生物技术公司之外的研究人员，但也将为研究提供雪貂模型 这将在伊利诺伊大学主校区的现有研究设施中进行。此外，所选择的地点 该设施拥有毗邻的土地，可用于未来扩展研究空间和雪貂住房，具有长期战略意义 招募 NFRRI 下一代领导人并利用与营利性组织的现有关系的计划 寻求在临床前雪貂模型中开发人类疾病疗法的生物技术公司。这 NFRRI 的短期和长期战略目标将通过与 爱荷华大学（NFRRI 大楼的费用分摊）、囊性纤维化基金会和马歇尔农场（ 最大的雪貂研究饲养者）。