Animal Model Staff
Kathy Krentz
Animal Models Facility Director
Assistant Researcher
3124 Biotechnology Center
Email: kjkrentz@wisc.edu
Background: Kathy received her B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1989 and her M.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1991 where she first learned to manipulate mammalian embryos. She worked in Transgenic Animal Facility (TAF) from 1991-2005, returned to TAF in 2010 and has been the Facility Manager since 2013. In 2010, Kathy trained in the lab of Dr. Tadao Serikawa in Kyoto, Japan to learn rat embryo and sperm techniques such as cryopreservation and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injections. In 2014, she participated in the CARD-RPCI Sperm and Embryo Cryopreservation Course at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. In 2017, she was an invited speaker at the International Society for Transgenic Technology (ISTT) meeting held in Salt Lake City, UT.
Felipe Ongaratto
Animal Models Lab Manager
3120 Biotechnology Center
Email: ledurongarat@wisc.edu
Background: Felipe earned his Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2009, followed by a Master of Science in Bovine Reproduction in 2013 (Argentina) and a PhD in Reproductive Physiology in 2019 (Brazil). Since then, he has been working on cloning and the production of transgenic animals across various species. In 2018, Felipe began working at a biotechnology company in Minnesota, where he managed cloning, embryo production, and embryo transfers in pigs. He joined AM in February 2023, where he is responsible for the production of transgenic mice and rats through pronuclear microinjection and electroporation. He also creates chimeras using embryonic stem (ES) cells and performs intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in rats, in addition to conducting embryo transfers.
Lucille Lopez
Research Specialist
Email: llopez26@wisc.edu
Background: Lucille joined the Animal Models core in April, 2024. She has a B.S. in Zoology from UW-Madison and has extensive experience working a vet technician at local animal hospitals. She has quickly mastering mouse colony husbandry and breeding.
Jacob Austin
Client-Based Researcher I
Email: jaustin6@wisc.edu
Kyley Wipper
Undergraduate Assistant
Background: Kyley is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Neurobiology.