Colony Maintenance and Breeding of Genetic Modified Rodents Methods to effectively breed and safeguard these unique models

Presenter: Philip Damiani, B.S., Ph.D.

Philip received a BS in Zoology from the State University of New York at Oswego, and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts in Veterinary and Animal Sciences. He has worked extensively in the field of assisted reproductive technology and animal husbandry for a wide variety of animal species, including laboratory animals, companion animals, and non-domestic species. Philip has previously worked at Taconic Biosciences and Envigo, serving as the Global Head of Embryology at each respective organization. In his current role, Philip oversees the GEMS and Embryology programs at Charles River’s Wilmington and Hollister sites.

The technology of generating genetically engineered models (GEMs) is well established although specialized laboratories are needed to apply the technology successfully.  When successfully generating GEM founder animals, these valuable individuals must be further bred to produce enough numbers not only to characterize the line, but to permit the scientific investigations to be concluded. When establishing your research colony and propagating animals for experimental studies, informed decisions about the overall strategy of colony maintenance must be made. Very often the GEMs are unique to an institute and of extreme importance to the success of its research and development programs. The validity and uniformity of the lines should therefore be monitored as far as possible and be conserved in both breeding and some type of preservation programs in the event of some type of disaster. Time is an enemy we continually battle, and therefore we need to be as productive as possible within the overall limitations of the facility resources and the species reproductive biology. This talk will address the establishment and maintenance of rodent GEMs and will address some topics including tools and guidance on animal husbandry/colony maintenance.  In addition, disaster planning recommendations to safeguard your valuable strains and the use of assisted reproductive technologies to ensure propagation of difficult breeders will be addressed.  Finally, we will provide real life examples of how these safeguards assisted research institutes during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and ensured that research continued following the return to some normalcy. 

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