# Establishing Acomys as a genetic platform for regeneration research

> **NIH NIH R21** · SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $293,550

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Many of the major biological discoveries of the 20th century were made using very few model species.
They were chosen for historical experimental tractability, rather than biological attributes relevant to critical
biological questions or relevance to pressing global health issues. Yet the advent of efficient sequencing
technologies has made the study of new organisms feasible. For example, the study of cultured fibroblasts
from incredibly large, long-lived and cancer free Bowhead whales has revealed extraordinary adaptations for
efficient DNA repair mechanisms in these animals (1). Yet Bowhead whales are not at all experimentally
tractable other than through cell culture. Acomys are an emerging model non-fibrotic regeneration and are the
only known mammalian species with any significant and systemic adult regenerative capacity. As a rodent,
albeit with some unusual reproductive physiology, they are readily maintained in the laboratory, yet we lack
tools to genetically exploit and manipulate their naturally selected, advantageous traits. History has
demonstrated that the success of model organisms is self-perpetuating: as the community of researchers
grows, new methodologies and resources are developed and shared, and the body of specific knowledge and
access to powerful tools to manipulate, observe and experiment upon these model organisms further lowers
the bar to entry so that the cycle can repeat. Here we propose to develop multiple genetic tools including
inbred lines, ES cells for chimeric and organoid analyses, and whole animal transgenesis to establish Acomys
as experimentally and genetically tractable model for mammalian non-fibrotic regenerative healing and healthy
aging. These technologies are fundamental to define the mechanisms driving the naturally selected
regenerative capacity in this species, which in turn are certain to drive the creation of new pro-regenerative
therapeutics for human regenerative medicine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10866878
- **Project number:** 1R21OD036471-01
- **Recipient organization:** SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathleen Joyce Millen
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $293,550
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10866878

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10866878, Establishing Acomys as a genetic platform for regeneration research (1R21OD036471-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10866878. Licensed CC0.

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