Creation of a New Penn State Zebrafish Functional Genomics Core

描述(由申请人提供)：我们建议通过创建斑马鱼功能基因组核心(ZFGC)来现代化、扩展和巩固我们现有的斑马鱼能力。这一核心将产生很大的影响，因为它将丰富和连接我们三个新的和不断增长的机构健康研究投资：个性化医学研究所、药物发现开发和交付核心(D4)和大学范围内的系统生物学集群招聘。宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究人员是使用斑马鱼作为研究各种条件的模型系统的先驱；ZFGC将使我们能够扩大我们的研究能力。我们的第一个目标是通过改造四个现有的、未得到充分利用的动物房间，增加和集中住房空间、检疫空间和程序空间，总面积超过1200平方英尺。我们的第二个目标是通过安装最先进的斑马鱼饲养系统，提高护理和使用斑马鱼的效率和成本效益。我们的第三个目标是建立一个专门的程序室，用于包括显微注射、大规模繁殖和摄影在内的共享手术。实现这些目标将促进斑马鱼在目前资助的项目中的使用，这些项目涉及人类癌症、心血管疾病、代谢紊乱、神经发育和皮肤色素沉着。试点项目计划将确保这一新核心的持久使用，以及核心之间的研究活动的整合。利用斑马鱼模型的新的有针对性的研究方向将包括个性化药物、疾病建模和药物发现。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to modernize, expand, and consolidate our current zebrafish capabilities through the creation of a Zebrafish Functional Genomics Core (ZFGC). This core will have high impact, because it will enrich and connect three of our new and growing institutional health research investments: The Institute for Personalized Medicine, the Drug Discovery Development and Delivery Core (D4), and a university-wide Systems Biology cluster hire. Penn State investigators have been pioneers in the use of zebrafish as a model system for the study of a variety of conditions; the ZFGC will allow us to expand our research capabilities. Our first aim will be to increase and centralize housing space, quarantine space, and procedural space through renovation of four existing, underutilized animal rooms totaling over 1,200 net square feet. Our second aim will be to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the care and use of zebrafish through the installation of a state-of-the art zebrafish husbandry system. Our third aim will be to establish a dedicated procedure room for shared operations including microinjection, mass breeding, and photography. Accomplishing these aims will facilitate the use of zebrafish in currently funded projects involving human cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, neurodevelopment and skin pigmentation. A pilot project program will ensure lasting use of this new core, as well as integration of research activities between cores. Newly targeted directions of research utilizing the zebrafish model will include personalized medicine, disease modeling, and drug discovery.