Consolidation of the CEMIB/UNICAMP murine germplasm bank to support the biomedical research

Abstract

In recent years, the number of genetically modified animals (especially rats and mice) is increasing dramatically and, probably, it will not reduce its growth rate. The main reason for this to happen is that, currently, these animals are very sophisticated and available in a wide range to the research community. As examples, we emphasize two important institutions: the ISTT (International Society for Transgenic Technologies) and the EMMA (European Mouse Mutant Archive), where, the firstone is an institution involved with transgenic production and the secondone, a collaborative network where the genetically modified animals are stored for later delivery. While at the IST is estimated to have, nowadays, an average of 4900 strains of knockout, transgenic and mutant animals produced by 133 institutions in 27 affiliated countries. At the EMMA partners institutions are stored over 4050 genetically modified animal lines distributed in 20 families and other 2610 lines produced by the IKMC / IMPC consortium (International Knockout Mouse consortium / International Mouse Phenotyping consortium). A coordinated effort that has, among other objectives, mutate all encoding genes presented at the mouse genome, in order to discover and describe the biological function of each of them. It is clear that, in practice, it is impossible to receive; expand or even maintain all of this diversity, because of the costs, but also, because of the risk of losing its original paternis enormous. The only viable alternative is to store them like cryopreserved embryos; eggs and sperm. In addition, most of the transgenic animals has often, deficiencies in their defense mechanisms, and for that are very susceptible to infectious diseases; to keep these animals alive is, therefore, quite insecure. Despite these considerations, the near future also indicates, that the laboratory animal transport should be performed, almost exclusively, like a frozen gametes or embryos. With support of KFA institute researchers, from Hanover, Germany, CEMIB has installed the LabCrio in order to attend initially, the needs of the Centre and of the University of Campinas (Unicamp). At this moment, there are cryopreserved, 57 strains of mice at the LabCrio Germplasm Banks, some of them which are no longer in production at the Centre. However, the current condition of the LabCrio, does not allow any expansion in its activities, frustrating new initiatives in the sector, as well as requests from the University and from external groups that frequently arrivesto the laboratory. At the same time, over the past few years, the LabCrio has offered training to experts from Brazil and other countries. And if this grant is approved, it will contribute to the expansion of the training program, contributing for many of the local needs of the research institutions be more quickly and using its own staff. In addition, it should be noted that the routine protocols in use at the LabCrio, are the same currently used in the United States, Asia and in European centers. This fact is important because favors the join of the Lab Crio, with specialized centers of these regions which already act as collaborative networks. Therefore, the acceptance of this request will result in the following consequences: a) The continuity and the deepening of the initial grant performed in the past by FAPESP when installing the CEMIB program; b) Will contribute to the expansion of the ongoing routine activities at the lab; c) To expand the possibility of training specialized human resources and d) Facilitate the participation of CEMIB's LabCrio in collaborative networks stated in Brazil and in other countries, such as EMMA (European Mouse Mutant Archive). (AU)