Special Animals Core
Sanjeev Gupta, MD
Core Director
Professor, Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases)
Professor, Department of Pathology
The Eleazar & Feige Reicher Chair in Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine
David Neufeld, PhD
Operations Director
Associate, Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases)
Services
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
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
- Isolation and Culture of Animal and Human Liver Cells
- Distribution of Liver Cells generated from Pluripotent Stem Cells
- Provision of Cell Culture Additives and Materials
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
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
- Animal rederivation, breeding or backcrossing
Center Cores
- Administrative and Supporting Services
Director: Allan W. Wolkoff, M.D.
Associate Director: David A. Shafritz, M.D.
Administrator: Kerry Victor, M.B.A. - Animal Models, Stem Cells and Cell Therapy
Core Director: Sanjeev Gupta, M.D.
Operations Director: David Neufeld, Ph.D. - Imaging and Cell Structure
Director: Carolina Eliscovich, Ph.D.
Training Director and Senior Associate: Frank Macaluso, M.Sc. - Genetic Engineering and Gene Therapy
Director: Jayanta Roy-Chowdhury, M.B.B.S.
Operations Director: Xia Wang, M.D., Ph.D. - Molecular Biology and Next Generation Technology
Director: David Q.-H. Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Director: Robert D. Burk, M.D.
Operations Director: Tatyana Tchaikovskaya, Ph.D.
