The Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) was established in 2001.

Resources Provided

The overall goal is to establish a center for distributing high quality, well characterized inbred, hybrid and mutant rats to investigators. To this end, the RRRC will select and import rat strains and stocks important to the biomedical research community; rederive rats to a pathogen-free state; cryopreserve gametes and embryos; perform genotyping; and infectious disease monitoring to assure the quality of the rats, and distribute rats to investigators as live rats, cryopreserved germplasm or tissues.

The RRRC began distribution of rat models in 2002 and continues to distribute an increasing number of animals per year. Investigators interested in obtaining models should contact: Beth Bauer at bauerbe@missouri.edu or 573-882-6459.

Research Emphasis/Objectives

Research projects are focused in two major areas of importance to rats as animal models: 1) development of efficient methods for genome resource banking and strain/stock reconstitution including ovarian tissue preservation and transplantation in combination with artificial insemination with cryopreserved spermatozoa and 2) improved methods for health monitoring of rats using molecular diagnostics and environmental monitoring.

Consortium Members

Principal Investigator: John K. Critser, Ph.D. University of Missouri Comparative Medicine Center and    Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory Phone: (573) 884-9469 Fax: [573] 884=7521 E-mail: CritserJ@missouri.edu

Additional Contact: Lela K. Riley, Ph.D. University of Missouri Comparative Medicine Center and    Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (RADIL) Phone: (573) 882-2029 Fax: [573] 884=7521 E-mail: RileyL@missouri.edu