Coordinating and Bioinformatics Unit for the DCC/MMPC

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Animal Models of Diabetic Complications Consortium (AMDCC) and the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers (MMPC) are two multi-center initiatives funded by the NIH. During the current five year funding cycle, the AMDCC had the primary responsibility of developing and characterizing animal models that mimic human diabetic complications. The mission of the AMDCC was to not only create these models, but also provide these models, the data relevant to their characterization and the protocols used for their generation and analysis to the scientific community. Oversight of the consortium comes from both the NIH and an External Advisory Board (EAB). During this third funding cycle, the AMDCC will be rebranded as the Diabetic Complications Consortium (DCC) and will be responsible for continuing support for the DCC animal model phenotyping through the use of opportunity pools (funding), manage/maintain the website and phenotyping data and administratively organize the meetings and workshops sponsored by the DCC to engage the greater diabetic complications scientific community. In contrast, the MMPCs are charged with providing the scientific community with standardized, high quality metabolic and physiologic phenotyping services for the mouse. The MMPC provides state-of-the-art technologies to investigators for a fee, with their services including characterization of mouse metabolism, blood composition (including hormones), energy balance, eating and exercise, organ function and morphology, physiology and histology. Over the last four years the two consortia have been managed by one CBU because of the NIH decision to integrate the activities of the two consortia during their second funding cycles. Our laboratory has been the CBU for both the AMDCC (last 9 years) and the MMPC (last 4 years). The CBU is responsible for creating and maintaining the administrative, scientific and informatics infrastructure necessary to organize and facilitate their operations. The goal of this proposal is to provide that infrastructure. We will build upon the success of the current AMDCC/MMPC CBU infrastructure to provide both the DCC and MMPC with a robust and comprehensive service oriented solution that supports both the common and unique aspects of each.