Research Emphasis/Objectives

The National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC) was established in 2003 to develop the infrastructure to ensure that biomedical investigators across a variety of disciplines have access to critically needed swine models of human health and disease. The NSRRC will also serve as a central resource for reagents, a creation of new genetically modified swine, and information and training related to use of swine models in biomedical research.

Services Provided:

• Animals
  • Swine are imported into the resource center, rederived to a pathogen-free status, and gametes and embryos are cryopreserved to prevent future loss. Swine models are then available for distribution to biomedical investigators at a nominal cost.
• Biological Materials
  • Tissues/organs
• Health Monitoring
  • The NSRRC performs on-going health monitoring to assure maintenance of a pathogen-free status.
• Cryopreservation
  • The NSRRC cryopreserves and stores gametes, embryos, and somatic cells to prevent loss of valuable models.
• Research
  • Improved techniques for cryopreservation of pig reproductive cells and tissues
  • Proved methods for the detection and elimination of microbial pathogens in pigs
  • Development of improved methods for the production of transgenic and knockout pigs
• PI-Driven Model Creation
  • The center creates custom models for NIH-funded investigators. Requests are evaluated by the Steering Committee and prioritized. Animals are first distributed to the requesting principal investigators and then made available to others.