The Animal Models Core (AM) is located in the UW Biotechnology Center (UWBC) on the UW-Madison central campus. Their mission is to make genome editing technologies and cryopreservation services accessible to UW investigators and off-campus clients. The AM BLS2 research laboratory occupies 1,767 sq. ft. of general lab space, one fully equipped tissue culture room, 330 sq. ft. of offices and 219 sq.ft. conference room. The AM animal facility includes a 582 sq. ft. embryo micromanipulation suite and an additional 209 sq. ft. procedure room.
The AM maintains an animal colony required for the generation of genetically engineered mice and rats, rederivation of pathogens and recovery of cryopreserved lines. The mice and rats are housed within a 2,507 sq. ft. facility. Additional animals contaminated with pathogens and used for rederivation purposes are housed in adjacent building. The School of Medicine and Public Health’s Biomedical Research Model Services (BRMS) maintain the animal facility at AAALAC and NIH specific pathogen free (SPF) standards. The BRMS provides animal husbandry, bedding, and feed. The Research Animal Resources Center (RARC) provides veterinarian care and conducts quarterly serology screening to monitor the pathogen status of the AM animal colony including routine testing for a panel of over 25 different pathogens/viruses.
The AM has one desktop and seven laptop computers that are used by staff for their computing needs. UWBC’s customized Salesforce customer relations program is used for daily client communication, quoting and billing. Mosaics Virtual Chemistry database is used for animal colony management and Freezerworks database is used for cryopreserved sample inventory. UW supported Lab Archives was implemented in 2023 for project management. All databases allow for client’s data access via login and passwords.
The AM maintains two inverted microscopes (Leica and Zeiss) and multiple Eppendorf micromanipulators for manipulating embryos, five dissecting microscopes, a Sutter needle puller, two vibration-free tables, a Hamilton-Thorne computer-assisted sperm analyzer, an electroporator, a controlled rate freezer, twenty-one liquid nitrogen storage tanks (used for cryopreserved embryonic stem cells, embryos and sperm), a biosafety cabinet, two benchtop CO2 incubators and two free-standing CO2 incubators.
Additionally, AM is equipped with miscellaneous molecular biological equipment for the analysis of DNA samples for microinjection, the preparation of genomic DNA samples from tail biopsies, gamete cryopreservation including necessary centrifuges, electrophoresis equipment, water baths, refrigerators, and freezers.
Kathy Krentz, MS serves as the facility director. She has over thirty years of experience manipulating mouse and rat embryos, is the PI on the animal and biosafety protocols and oversees the daily operations of the facility. The AM employs a lab manager with a PhD in Animal Biotechnology who performs embryo manipulations and animal embryo transfer surgeries. The AM also have two full-time research specialists and one undergraduate assistant responsible for general maintenance of the animal colony, cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization and general lab operations.