CORE--FACILITY FOR AGING RODENTS

老年啮齿动物核心设施（CFAR）为希望使用动物模型研究衰老生物学、衰老与疾病之间的关系或治疗方法的研究科学家提供动物和建议，这些方法可以发展到与老年人的独立性和保健相关的人类干预试验。CFAR由病理学教授、老年病学中心研究副主任Richard A. Miller博士领导。兽医咨询由实验动物医学助理教授Robert Dysko博士提供。老年和对照大鼠和小鼠是从NIA合同群体购买的，并提供给胡椒中心试点/可行性资助的接受者，提供给希望获得试点数据以准备OAIC或外部支持申请的初级教员科学家，以及提供给希望开始研究老年病学或老年学问题的成熟科学家，他们还没有外部支持。这有助于接触老年啮齿动物，吸引发展中和成熟的科学家进行老年病学实验，并促进他们在这一领域的初步尝试，同时确保他们从（核心主任）那里获得关于品系和物种选择等问题的建议，适当开发新的遗传异质性小鼠种群，这些小鼠经过几代选择性繁殖，以提高细胞对稳态压力的抵抗力。Core将通过在每一代中选择T淋巴细胞最能抵抗短暂热休克或抗氧化应激（过氧化氢）体外处理的父母来产生这些抗应激小鼠系。以这种方式产生的小鼠系将被UM Pepper中心的研究人员用于研究细胞内稳态和对老年疾病的内在脆弱性之间的联系，也将提供给其他中心的研究人员。通过它的项目，CFAR将继续为Pepper中心和其他澳大的研究人员提供实验设计方面的咨询，促进老年大鼠和小鼠的接触，并协助制作和表征新的啮齿动物模型，这些模型对衰老和晚年疾病的研究特别有用。

The Core Facility for Aged Rodents (CFAR) provides animals and advice for research scientists who wish to use animal models to study the biology of aging, the relationship between aging and disease, or therapeutic approaches that could level to the development of human intervention trials relevant to the independence and health care of the elderly. CFAR is directed by Dr. Richard A. Miller, Professor of Pathology and the Associate Director for Research of the Geriatrics Center. Veterinary consultation is provided by Dr. Robert Dysko, DVM, Assistant Professor of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Aged and control rats and mice are purchased from the NIA Contract Colonies and supplied to recipients of Pepper Center Pilot/Feasibility Grants, to junior faculty scientists who wish to acquire pilot data towards the preparation of an application for OAIC or extramural support, and to established scientists who wish to begin study of a problem in geriatric or gerontology for which they do yet have external support. This facilitated access to old rodents serves to attract developing and established scientists to experimental geriatrics and to facilitate their initial forays in this filed, while at the same time ensuring that they obtain advice from the (Core Director) on matters such as choice of strain and species, appropriate development of a new stocks of genetically heterogeneous mice that have been selectively bred over several generations for improved cellular resistance to homeostatic stresses. The Core will generate these stress-resistant mouse lines by selecting parents, in each generation, whose T lymphocytes are most resistant to brief heat shock or resistant to in vitro treatment with an oxidizing stress, hydrogen peroxide. Mouse lines produced in this way will be used by UM Pepper Center investigators for studies of the connections between cellular homeostasis and intrinsic vulnerability to late life diseases, and will also be made available to researchers at other centers. Through its programs CFAR will continue to provide Pepper Center and other UM researchers with consultation on experimental design, facilitated access to aged rats and mice, and assistance in producing and characterizing new rodent models that are particularly useful for studies of aging and late life disease.