Case Transgenic & Targeting Facility
Director: Ron Conlon, PhD
The Case Transgenic and Targeting Facility transgenic core serves the Northeast Ohio biomedical research institutions of CWRU, UHCMC, LRI-CCF, the VA Hospital, MetroHealth Research as well as the Florida Research & Innovation Center of the CCF. The Transgenic Core is administered and supported by the CWRU School of Medicine, with additional support from the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, the CWRU Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative, the NIH, JobsOhio, the Research Institute for Childrens' Health and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The Transgenic Core has its roots in departmental cores in Genetics and Pharmacology at CWRU SOM. In 2001, Dr. Conlon became director of the Genetics Core, and Dr. Mann, director of the Pharmacology Core. An LRI-CCF transgenic core went extinct soon after. The Genetics and Pharmacology cores merged in 2004 to become a SOM core, with the goal of serving the local research community without barriers across institutions.
Mouse genetic models are powerful tools in biomedical research. Mouse models are, however, expensive, time-consuming and complex with many pitfalls and shortcomings. The local research enterprise benefits from timely and affordable access to benchmark-meeting genetic services, and from access to expert consultation, education and support from our experienced and skilled team. The rationale for a transgenic core is that only a local core can provide access to the specialized expertise, experience, skill, services and knowledge that are required for the success of research programs that use mouse models. Mouse genetic models are key to the Institutions' goals of increasing our understanding of health and disease, and of translating this understanding into therapies for patients. The Transgenic Core's mission is to provide local access to affordable, timely, efficient and effective services, and to provide support in mouse genetics in order to maximize the information gained from mouse models. The transgenic and targeted mice created by the core have been featured in over 300 publications.
In 2019, the Transgenic Core became part of the Cystic Fibrosis Mouse Resource Center (CFMRC) directed by Craig Hodges. The CFMRC generates, distributes and performs services on mouse models of cystic fibrosis for researchers internationally, and is currently the largest repository of CF models in the world. The CFMRC emphasizes models that will advance the development of a one-time cure for cystic fibrosis, with an emphasis on gene and gene editing therapies. The Transgenic Core is a member of the FIND Pipeline, a consortium of CWRU cores dedicated to developing therapies for genetic diseases.