# Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center

> **NIH NIH P40** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2020 · $364,775

## Abstract

OVERALL COMPONENT - PROJECT SUMMARY
This application seeks support to continue operations of the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC) at the
University of Kentucky (UK). The AGSC is the only federally funded resource center that distributes Mexican
axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum), a salamander that provides living materials in support of biomedical
research nationally and internationally. Most notably, axolotls are unique among vertebrates in being able to
regenerate numerous tissues and body parts. These include the spinal cord, limbs, jaw, retina, brain, heart,
and tail, all of which can be regenerated at any point during embryonic, larval, and adult life. Also, axolotls are
used by researchers that work in additional areas, including neurobiology, ecotoxicology, development,
physiology, cell biology, genetics, genomics, and evolution. This is an exciting time for the axolotl as it’s
incredibly large genome (32 Gb) was recently sequenced and assembled. New and assessable resources are
allowing cutting edge technologies like gene-editing and single cell RNA sequencing to be performed for the
first time, approaches that are rapidly accelerating discoveries using axolotl models. In just the past 4 years,
NIH support for axolotl research has tripled and there has been a significant increase in transgenic and knock-
out lines in the community. PI’s in the salamander community recently came together to discuss future
opportunities and challenges, and the enabling role the AGSC will play in moving community efforts forward.
During the previous funding period, the AGSC moved internally from the College of Arts and Sciences to the
College of Medicine (COM) at UK. This move has strengthened the AGSC in several significant ways that
clearly demonstrate long term commitment by the host institution for this irreplaceable resource. Specifically,
funding was made available to replace re-circulating systems and create a more user friendly website to
facilitate axolotl stock purchasing and more efficiently disseminate information that is useful for working with
axolotls. Additionally, COM-UK has extensive experience working with university core research centers and
thus provides a more stable administrative environment to support AGSC business activities and to better
ensure regulatory compliance and animal health and welfare. Over the next 5 years, the AGSC will build upon
current momentum by maintaining and generating high quality, axolotl stocks that are needed by a growing
number of NIH-funded investigators. Husbandry and management practices will be modified to increase
availability of post-embryonic stocks that are seeing increasing demand by researchers. Also, transgenic and
knock-out stocks will be prioritized for import into the AGSC and cryopreservation methods will be developed to
preserve and more efficiently manage stocks. The AGSC will continue to serve as an informatics hub where
investigators obtain information about the collection, technical pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9853490
- **Project number:** 2P40OD019794-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Randal Voss
- **Activity code:** P40 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $364,775
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-03-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9853490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9853490, Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (2P40OD019794-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9853490. Licensed CC0.

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