# Core A: Animal Models Core

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $253,970

## Abstract

The Animal Models Core centralizes breeding, development and maintenance of extremely useful, but
complex mouse and zebrafish models by providing a stable environment for each centrally housed line to
increase efficiency, decrease costs and prevent phenotype variation. This Core leverages exceptional specific
pathogen free (SPF) and gnotobiotic mice and zebrafish facilities and expert personnel to provide high-quality
resources and services to all 3 current and proposed Projects.
 Core A personnel work closely with Project investigators to provide SPF and gnotobiotic mouse and
zebrafish models that are essential to accomplish goals of each of the current projects. This core provides
prioritized creation of novel SPF mouse strains and derivation of germ-free (GF) lines that will support the
success of Projects 1, 2, 3 and 4. In addition, this Core has created highly innovative zebrafish models to
facilitate activities in Projects 3 and 4. By providing technical experience and central housing to create and
maintain GF wild type, mutant and double mutant mouse strains, Core A allows investigators to efficiently
perform innovative, mechanistic experiments far beyond the resources of traditional R01-supported
investigators and extends the capabilities of our national gnotobiotic resource. These GF mice and zebrafish
allows Project investigators to manipulate the complex gut microbial ecology to study the mechanistic role of
luminal microbes on immune and epithelial responses in gnotobiotic animals colonized with defined microbiota.
The Specific Aims of the Animal Models Core are to provide P01 Projects with:
1.Centralized breeding of specific pathogen free and germ-free mice and zebrafish to eliminate
redundancy in breeding units, diminish expenses, decrease environmental variation by maintaining central
housing facilities and minimize waste by promoting shared utilization of animals by multiple investigators;
2.Create new mouse and zebrafish models including importing existing mutant strains for central breeding,
creating new strains, including cell-specific mutants by crossbreeding of existing mutant, transgenic and
fluorescent protein reporter lines, and generating new transgenic and mutant lines;
3.Germ-free derivation of existing and new mouse strains that can be used to evaluate the impact of
complex resident microbiota individual microbial species or microbial consortia on intestinal inflammation and
mucosal homeostasis.
 This Core supports Projects 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the renewal application.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10018855
- **Project number:** 5P01DK094779-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan B Sartor
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $253,970
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10018855

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10018855, Core A: Animal Models Core (5P01DK094779-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10018855. Licensed CC0.

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