# Comparative Animal Models (CAM) Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LAB · 2024 · $294,584

## Abstract

COMPARATIVE ANIMAL MODELS CORE PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of regenerative medicine is to harness stem cell biology and our understanding of endogenous
tissue repair processes to enhance human regeneration. Aging studies have identified multiple hallmarks of
aging and established a framework for extending healthspan. Despite this progress, the demand for
replacement organs still outstrips supply and chronic, age-associated degenerative disease remains a major
burden on the US healthcare system. While most human tissues and organs have limited regeneration
capacity, many invertebrates and non-mammalian vertebrates show robust regeneration in response to injury
and can replace lost and damaged organs, including the heart, limbs, spinal cord, and kidney. Aging studies
in C. elegans were the first to identify conserved metabolic pathways impacting lifespan that may be targeted
to reduce age-related degeneration. Comparative studies of these animal models provide a unique
opportunity to define mechanisms of healthy aging and regeneration and identify pathways that may be
targeted to enhance human regenerative potential and extend healthspan.
Research on regeneration in diverse animal models requires specialized facilities and expertise. The COBRE
Comparative Animal Models (CAM) Core builds on MDIBL’s signature expertise in comparative animal
biology to provide the animal resources necessary to grow and sustain the Kathryn W. Davis Center for
Regenerative Biology and Aging. During Phases I and II COBRE funding, the CAM Core provided animal
husbandry and transgenesis services for diverse animal models including zebrafish, axolotl, and C. elegans.
Core service was also a major factor in the recruitment of new COBRE/MDIBL Project Leaders. Over the
past ten years, CAM Core-supported research projects resulted in the publication of 61 papers by COBRE
Project Leaders and 57 papers by non-COBRE faculty. This research resulted in multiple firsts for the MDIBL
including the discovery of three lead small molecules for aging and regenerative medicine applications, three
issued U.S. patents, and launch of a spinoff, Novo Biosciences.
The primary goal of the CAM Core will be to support the research programs of all investigators in the Davis
Center and to help ensure the Center’s long-term sustainability. This will be accomplished by 1) providing
Davis Center faculty with animal husbandry resources, 2) Provide education and training in animal husbandry
for CAM Core users and aquatic veterinary practice, and 3) expanding user fee-supported services to ensure
long-term CAM Core fiscal sustainability.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10933848
- **Project number:** 1P30GM154610-01
- **Recipient organization:** MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LAB
- **Principal Investigator:** Edward Seckeler
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $294,584
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-05 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10933848

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10933848, Comparative Animal Models (CAM) Core (1P30GM154610-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10933848. Licensed CC0.

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