# Applied Research

> **NIH NIH P40** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ROSENTEIL SCHOOL · 2021 · $56,225

## Abstract

The mission of the National Resource for Aplysia at the University of Miami (the Resource) is to produce and
distribute consistently high quality cultured sea hares, Aplysia californica, for biomedical research and
education and to improve the usefulness of this model system by applied research. Aplysia have played a vital
role in fundamental discoveries of how cellular and molecular changes in the nervous system underlie basic
behaviors, learning and memory due to unique characteristics of their simple nervous system that provide an
ideal model system for such studies. The two aims of the proposed continuation of this resource program are:
 1. Production and Distribution – The Resource will continue to culture A. californica and make all life
stages, from eggs to large adults, available to researchers at a reasonable cost. We anticipate sales will
continue at a level of 10,000 – 15,000 animals per year. We will also accommodate requests by users for
separately reared, same-aged cohorts, specialized diets, or harvesting of specific tissues for RNA or DNA. In
addition, we will make available mature and senescent stage animals, validated using criteria generated by the
Resource, as well as additional specialized animals as developed in our planned Applied Research programs.
 2. Applied Research Programs to support the Resource – We will conduct two applied research
projects to create new Aplysia resources that we believe will expand the usefulness of this model system to
researchers:
 2.1 Molecular characterization of the caloric restriction model of arrested aging – We will
investigate the mechanisms involved in lengthening the one year Aplysia lifecycle via caloric restriction (CR).
We will document the portions of the life cycle such as pre-reproductive, mature and aged that are prolonged
by CR. We will also examine alterations in previously identified gene expression profiles associated with aging
at these stages, and determine how they are affected by CR. This project will expand the usefulness of these
animals as models of aging.
 2.2 Molecular characterization of the hypoxia-resistant nervous system of Aplysia – Hypoxia and
ischemia tolerant species have been very useful for understanding the mechanisms by which such animals
avoid the catastrophic nervous system damage encountered by humans subject to stroke or similar injuries.
Aplysia are very resistant to hypoxia such that their simple, well studied nervous system should be an ideal
model for investigating transcriptomic and metabolic adaptations that make this resistance possible. This would
create a novel model for study of mitigation of hypoxic damage in the nervous system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132426
- **Project number:** 5P40OD010952-26
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ROSENTEIL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL C SCHMALE
- **Activity code:** P40 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $56,225
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1996-05-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132426

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132426, Applied Research (5P40OD010952-26). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132426. Licensed CC0.

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