# Mouse Metabolic Physiology  Core

> **NIH NIH U2C** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $478,023

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Mouse Metabolic Physiology Core and its two subcores, the Metabolic Regulation Subcore and the Body
Weight Regulation Subcore, provide investigators both guidance on experimental design and use of state-of-
the-art techniques to assess genetic and environmental determinants of insulin action, substrate metabolism,
and energy balance in vivo. The experienced faculty and highly skilled staff of this Core have a 20-year history
of performing complex procedures to study metabolism in healthy, unstressed mice and have been at the
forefront of development, standardization, implementation, and dissemination of new concepts and techniques
to study mouse models of metabolic diseases. In the present application, the Mouse Metabolic Physiology
Core delivers critically needed mouse-related services to investigators outside of Vanderbilt. Skilled mouse
surgeons perform difficult surgeries such as catheter, brain cannula, and brain probe implantations, as well as
bariatric surgery and islet transplantation. Experienced staff perform complex experiments such as metabolic
flux analyses under conditions such as those created by a glucose clamp or exercise. Measurements of energy
balance components and assessment of reward/motivated behavior allow for the physiological and behavioral
determinants of body weight to be determined in mouse models of metabolic disease. This Core merges
techniques so that oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, energy expenditure, activity and feeding behavior are
measured simultaneously with studies of metabolism using indwelling catheters or neural regulation using
implanted cannula and fiber optic probes. Experience at Vanderbilt over the past 5 years predicts robust use of
this Core. The Mouse Metabolic Physiology Core participates in important educational programs for the
diabetes community, including a weeklong course that has been given 20 times over 19 years focusing on
surgical and experimental techniques necessary to perform glucose clamps in mice. This Core supports the
Vanderbilt Vibrant Program by providing necessary time and resources to investigators from underrepresented
populations or institutions and early-career investigators. In summary, the Core facilitates diabetes, obesity,
and metabolism research by providing novel services that are feasible at few other institutions to investigators
outside of Vanderbilt.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10772130
- **Project number:** 5U2CDK135073-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** OWEN P MCGUINNESS
- **Activity code:** U2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $478,023
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-01 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10772130

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10772130, Mouse Metabolic Physiology  Core (5U2CDK135073-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10772130. Licensed CC0.

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