# Transgenics Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · 2020 · $128,938

## Abstract

The Transgenic Core Facility (TCF) is located within the Comparative Biology Facility at
Pennington Biomedical and currently produces mice for COBRE investigators and other faculty
at Pennington Biomedical as well as investigators at other institutions. The core utilizes
pronuclear microinjection and embryonic stem cell technologies to control gene expression in
mice. The objective of the TCF is to make high quality transgenic and gene knockout mouse
production readily accessible, both technically and financially. The TCF, although not formally
supported by the COBRE in the previous funding cycles, has been providing mouse models to
COBRE scientists for several years. These models have been crucial reagents to allow COBRE
scientists to be competitive in obtaining external funding (Table E1). For this next funding cycle,
the COBRE will formally establish support for state-of-the-art methods in transgenic
technologies to allow continued growth of methods and services. These new tools produced by
the TCF will be highly effective translational models for the essential pre-clinical proof of
concept studies being conducted by COBRE faculty. More specifically for the next award cycle,
we are also preparing for what appears to be the next generation of targeting strategies that do
not require embryonic stem cells. Targeted genome editing using engineered nucleases has
been largely fueled by the emergence of clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic
repeat (CRISPR) technology, an important new approach for generating RNA-guided
nucleases, such as Cas9, with customizable specificities. Genome editing mediated by these
nucleases can be used to rapidly, easily and efficiently modify endogenous genes in a wide
variety of cell types and in organisms that have traditionally been challenging to manipulate
genetically. This technology has the potential to eliminate the laborious and time-consuming
engineering of targeting constructs for mice, but more importantly opens the doors for gene
targeting in virtually any species. This is significant because a number of COBRE faculty use
rats as their preferred pre-clinical model. Our plan is to begin testing this technology in mice
and then progress to rats as a model for genetic manipulation. The Specific Aims of the TCF
are to: 1) To utilize transgenic and gene targeting techniques to generate mouse models that
mimic human disease states, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and dysregulation of lipid
metabolism, and 2) Pursue new CRISPR methods and targeting strategies based on the needs
of from COBRE faculty and recipients of Pilot and Feasibility funding.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978081
- **Project number:** 5P30GM118430-05
- **Recipient organization:** LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Randall Lee Mynatt
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $128,938
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978081

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978081, Transgenics Core (5P30GM118430-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978081. Licensed CC0.

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