Getting Started with Transgenic Core

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Working with us is easy. Here are the steps to get started:

Register in ilab
Step 01

Register within iLab.

Schedule Consultation
Step 02

Schedule a consultation; will encompass regulatory requirements and project details.

Schedule service
Step 04

Once the following steps have been completed the Tg Core staff will schedule the service. Constant feedback will be provided throughout the service until completed.

Frequently Asked Questions

This really depends on the quality of the DNA, CRISPR or ES cells that the core was supplied, but on average we generate 2 founder animals or 20-50 offspring. If we don’t get any founders from the first set of microinjections/electroporations we will schedule a repeat. We will absorb the cost of the repeated service, but you will be expected to pay for the animals. If we still don’t get any founders from the repeated session we will schedule a meeting with you to re-assess the next steps to be taken.

This depends on the type of service you request. But transgenic/knockout founder animals can be delivered to your animal room within 11 weeks, from the date the service request form has been submitted. At this time the founder animals would be approximately 5 weeks old.

As long as the gametes are stored appropriately, there is no limit to how long the samples can be stored in liquid nitrogen.

There are a few ways in which you can import strains. The most commonly used method is to import live animals. This method can be costly, will take the longest and the animals you receive into your colony may be older. The second option is to have the other institution import frozen sperm/embryos from the strain you’d like to use. Upon receipt of the frozen samples the core will schedule the rederivation service, in order to re-generate the strain and produce young stock animals. Unfortunately, not all institutions have the skills or resources to freeze gametes, so this may limit your options. Assuming your collaborators do not have frozen stocks available, they can ship, on ice, epididmides that have been isolated from a single male animal. This option does not require a special skill-set or equipment but does require careful co-ordination with the core. Upon receipt of the refrigerated samples the core will perform IVF to regenerate the strain.

The answer depends on the genotype of the strain and the number of mutant alleles involved. If the strain is relatively simple and only involves 1-2 mutant alleles, then we would highly recommend sperm freezing. If the strain is more complex or you need it to be archived as homozygous, you will should archive it as embryos.

We would need 3 health males, individually housed at least 4 days prior to the schedule sperm freeze, and they need to be a minimum of 12 weeks old. There is no maximum age limit. Ideally the males should to be proven breeders too.

Freezing embryos requires more animals from your lab. We would initially start with 10 individually housed males (7 weeks old+), and 10 group housed 3-5 weeks old females. If we are not able to bank 250 embryos from the first set of females, we would need a second set of 10 females. We can work with older females too, but please be advised that the older the females, the lower number of eggs we will be able to generate from them, this is could ultimately result in using more animals than ideal.

We are always open to establishing new services or performing a one-time resource for research investigators. Please email Adele Harman at Harmana@email.chop.edu to schedule a consultation.

Yes, absolutely. Please forward the contact details to Adele Harman at Harmana@email.chop.edu and she will reach out to them.

Please see our service fee schedule.

This depends on the type of service you request. But genetically modified founder animals can be delivered to your animal room within 11 weeks, from the date the service request form has been submitted. At this time the founder animals would be approximately 5 weeks old.

Please arrange a meeting with the core staff as soon as possible. We will discuss the background of the strain and what your lab has been doing with it. If you have a male animal we would recommend attempting IVF with sperm isolated from the animals epididmides. The age of the animal will not be a concern, but if the animal is sick it will impact the quality of the sperm. If you only have females in the colony, ovary transplant will be the only option available to you. This procedure has been shown to rescue strains, but the transplant needs to be performed using a genetically matched background recipient strain, or an immune-incompetent strain.