West Virginia University School of Medicine was one of 41 recipients (out of a national total of 105 applicant medical schools) of a Biomedical Research Support Program from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Some of these funds are being used to construct a transgenic rodent core facility (TRCF) at our medical center. A relatively unique aspect of our program is the ability to generate transgenic mice and rats. Rats are often the species of choice in physiological studies, and the ability to provide transgenic animals represents a powerful research tool.

The objective of the TRCF is to serve as a central molecular biology resource for the conception and execution of new projects and provide resources to help offset the high costs of developing transgenic animals. Construction of the facility has been completed and staff are being hired. Our goal is to provide a facility that provides better quality control, turn around time, and cost effectiveness than commercially available services. TRCF staff will be available for education, assistance and consultation during all stages of transgenic animal development, and are responsible to implement new transgenic technologies, such as conditional gene deletion and temporal transgene expression.

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