Viper Resource Center (VRC) at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK)

描述(由申请人提供)：国家天然毒素研究中心(NNTRC)是德克萨斯农工大学金斯维尔分校(TAMUK)的一个组成部分，是一个独特的动物和生物材料资源中心，旨在支持对毒蛇及其毒液的基础和翻译研究。NNTRC致力于促进对毒液分子治疗价值的了解，并培训毒物学领域的研究科学家。自1978年成立以来，NNTRC已经成长为美国唯一一个由联邦政府资助的毒蛇资源中心，为国内和国际生物医学和生物研究项目提供高质量的毒蛇相关研究材料。NNTRC的目标是提供最高质量的天然蛇毒、纯化的蛇毒成分、cDNA克隆和重组蛇毒蛋白，以支持生物医学研究。为了实现这一目标，国家自然毒素研究中心将致力于以下具体目标：目标1：将国家天然毒素研究中心作为一个资源中心运营，为国家和国际研究计划提供高质量的毒液和支持生物和生物医学研究的产品。目标2：发展和扩大蛇的收藏、专业服务、教育和推广计划，以支持美国毒液相关研究的增长。目标3：支持使用高通量基因组、蛋白质组、重组DNA和筛选技术的最先进的应用研究计划，这些技术将支持基于信息的方法来发现具有潜在治疗和/或诊断应用的蛇毒成分。在过去的五年中，NNTRC为推动学术研究以及药物和抗蛇毒疗法的商业发展做出了重大贡献。NNTRC的资源已被用于广泛的学科和治疗领域的研究，从毒液进化的系统发育研究到伤害性感受和止血的翻译研究，这些研究得到了多个NIH IC、NSF和国家和国际研究机构和基金会的支持。除了作为国家毒液研究资源和毒物学研究中心的角色外，NNTRC还在为代表不足的学生和教职员工提供在生物医学研究领域获得培训的机会方面发挥了重要作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The National Natural Toxins Research Center (NNTRC), a component of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), is a unique animal and biological material resource Center organized to support basic and translational research on venomous snakes and their venoms. The NNTRC is dedicated to the advancement in the understanding of the therapeutic value of venom molecules and to the training of research scientists in the field of toxinology. Since its inception in 1978 the NNTRC has grown to become the only federally funded viper resource center in the U.S. providing high quality venom and snake-related research materials to national and international biomedical and biological research programs. The goal of the NNTRC is to provide native venoms, purified venom components, cDNA clones, and recombinant venom proteins of the highest quality to support biomedical research. To achieve this goal the NNTRC will address the following Specific Aims: Aim 1: To operate the National Natural Toxins Research Center as a resource Center that provides high quality venom and products that support biological and biomedical research for national and international research programs. Aim 2: To develop and expand the collection of the snakes, specialized services, education and outreach programs to support growth of venom-related research in the U.S. Aim 3: To support a state-of-the-art applied research program using high-throughput genomic, proteomic, recombinant DNA and screening technologies that will support an information-based approach to the discovery of snake venom components with potential therapeutic and/or diagnostic applications. In the preceding five years the NNTRC has made significant contributions to the advancement of both academic research and the commercial development of pharmaceutical and anti-venom therapeutics. The resources of the NNTRC have been applied to research in a wide range of disciplines and therapeutic areas ranging from phylogenetic studies on venom evolution to translational research on nociception and hemostasis, research that has been supported by multiple NIH ICs, the NSF and national and international research agencies and foundations. In addition to its role as a national resource for venom research and as a Center of toxinology research, the NNTRC has also played an important role in providing opportunities for underrepresented students and faculty to gain training in the field of biomedical research.