Marion Bessin Liver Research Center

Special Animals Core

Core Director: 

Sanjeev Gupta, MD
Professor, Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases)
Professor, Department of Pathology
The Eleazar & Feige Reicher Chair in Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine


Operations Director: 

David Neufeld, PhD
Associate, Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases)


Purpose 

This Core provides resources, technologies and scientific expertise to advance translational applications of animal and human liver cells. The missions of the Core include the following:

  • Breed, maintain and provide animals that are not readily available elsewhere
  • Develop or reproduce animal models for relevant studies
  • Isolate and distribute primary animal or human liver cells of consistently high quality
  • Provide liver cells generated from pluripotent stem cells with highly efficient differentiation protocols
  • Instruct investigators or staff in stem cell methods and selected animal procedures
  • Offer consultation in experimental design for animal studies or for working with animals requiring special attention due to disease or other perturbations
  • Incorporate new technologies for animal and human stem cell and cell therapy studies
  • Encourage use of Core by early-stage investigators or investigators new to liver research

Services  

  1. Bred Animals
    • Nagase analbuminemic rat
    • Gunn rat (congeneic with Wistar-RHA strain)
    • Wistar-RHA rat
    • Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rat
    • Long-Evans Agouti (LEA) rat syngeneic to LEC rats
    • Dipeptidyl peptidase IV mutant (DPPIV-) F344 rat
    • Dipeptidyl peptidase IV knockout (DPPIV-) mouse in C57BL/6 background
    • Hemophilia A knockout mice in C57BL/6 background
    • Atp7b knockout mice in C57BL/6 background
     
  2. Isolation and Culture of Animal and Human Liver Cells
  3. Distribution of Liver Cells generated from Pluripotent Stem Cells
  4. Provision of Cell Culture Additives and Materials
  5. Reproduction of Established Animal Models
    • Acute liver failure with acetaminophen, allyl alcohol, azoxymethane, CCl4, concanavalin A, D-GalN, thioacetamide, etc.
    • Induction of portal cirrhosis with chronic CCl4 or thiocetamide administration
    • Induction of biliary cirrhosis with bile duct ligation
    • Localized or metastatic teratomas or tumors in immunodeficient mice
     
  6. Training in Animal Procedures
    • Bile duct ligation
    • Cannulation of portal vein, superior mesenteric vein, internal jugular vein,
    • Gallbladder or bile duct cannulation and bile collection
    • Intraportal, intrasplenic, subcutaneous cell transplantation
    • Partial hepatectomy (68%, 35%)
    • Perfusion fixation of liver and other tissues in situ for tissue analysis or electron microscopy
    • Portal and right atrial pressure measurements
     
  7. Animal rederivation, breeding or backcrossing

Center Cores