A Supplement Proposal for an Air Conditioning Unit, Cage Washer, Incubator and HPLC Systems to Support Research and Education Programs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

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PROJECT SUMMARY: Natural products have been a main foundation of drug design and snakes as well as other animal venoms have a vast unexploited potential. The fields of venom and anti-venom research are absolutely dependent on access to the reliable and reproducible venom-related resources developed by the National Natural Toxin Research Center (NNTRC). Snake venoms have provided molecular probes that have been used to decipher numerous complex physiological and pathophysiological processes and have served as the starting point for the development of several important classes of drugs. The NNTRC is in need of equipment and instrumentation crucial for maintaining the health and well-being of over 450 venomous snakes and ~1000 BALB/c mice used for research resources. The instrumentation is needed for purifying venom toxins and expressing recombinant novel molecules. The equipment and instrumentation being requested, a Daikin 8 Ton VRC Air conditioning Unit, a Tecniplast Cage Washer, a New Brunswick Innova® Incubator, and two ThermoFisher Binary High Performance Liquid Chromatography Systems, in the proposal are ideally suited to support critical research by sustaining the NNTRC's research animals in top quality conditions, purifying venom molecules, and designing novel recombinant molecules that can be used in therapeutics. The specific aims for the parent grant are to: 1) operate the National Natural Toxins Research Center as a resource center that provides high quality venom and products that support biological and biomedical research to national and international programs; 2) develop and expand the collection of snakes, specialized services and outreach programs to support growth of venom related research in the U.S.; and 3) conduct a state-of-the-art applied research program to support the development of new venom-related research services. Access to these equipment and instruments will enable the NNTRC to fulfill its specific aims and allow researchers to make important advances in the search for venom-derived therapeutics. RELEVANCE: The resources of the NNTRC have been applied to research in a wide range of disciplines ranging from genomic and proteomic studies on venom evolution to translational research on nociception and anti-venom therapeutics, research that has been supported by multiple NIH I/C's, the NSF, Dept of Defense and national and international research agencies. In addition to its roles as a national resource and keeping the animals healthy, the instruments will provide undergraduate, graduate and faculty from underrepresented areas with the opportunity to understand, venom biochemistry and molecular biology, and for hands-on training with animal husbandry.