Animal care: supporting research on autoimmune, inflammatory and muscle diseases

LACU协助NIAMS IRP研究人员进行涉及动物的研究。NIAMS动物饲养在NIH园区的动物设施中，包括位于10号楼9 C127室的NIAMS LACU设施（门诊护理研究设施（ACRF））以及6 B、10A、50号楼和14号楼。NIAMS动物用户主要使用小鼠和大鼠。 NIAMS IRP动物项目监督了24项使用小鼠和大鼠模型的动物研究提案（ASP）。LACU通过全面的同行评审过程协助研究人员准备ASP，并在NIAMS动物护理和使用委员会（ACUC）中有3名成员（2名投票和1名候补）。LACU保持接近真实的时间和详细的动物清单，寄养群体，大型繁殖群体和IRP动物的哨兵计划。由LACU菌落经理管理的约1小时培训计划，使所有新的NIAMS研究人员和PI熟悉NIH和NIAMS特定指南，啮齿动物菌落管理的一般概述以及与育种和研究指南相关的啮齿动物生物学。IRP项目领域包括关节炎、过敏性鼻炎和其他受体诱导的细胞反应、使用AID转基因小鼠的重组/染色质重塑、家族性地中海热（FMF）和TNF受体相关周期性综合征。研究涉及肌肉和相关疾病（N-RAP蛋白，糖原累积病II型，SIRT 1基因，肌原纤维组装和肌炎的实验）和骨骼肌中的亚细胞器和细胞骨架，以及体外实验检查逆转录病毒转导，骨髓移植和使用胎儿和成人皮肤组织的表皮分化。该研究所的许多研究涉及细胞凋亡和自身免疫，以及软骨研究，重点是组织工程软骨，软骨形成，GDF-F，COMP和骨关节炎。 NIAMS计划继续符合国际实验动物评估和认可协会（AAALAC）规定的所有认证要求，并正在为2021年6月的下一次NIH范围内的访问做准备。

The LACU assists the NIAMS IRP investigators with their research involving animals. NIAMS animals are housed in animal facilities located on the NIH campus, including the NIAMS LACU facility located in Building 10, room 9C127 (the Ambulatory Care Research Facility (ACRF)), as well as in Buildings 6B, 10A, 50 and Building 14. NIAMS animal users work primarily with mice and rats. The NIAMS IRP Animal Program has oversight for 24 Animal Study Proposals (ASPs) using mouse and rat models. The LACU assists researchers with preparing ASPs through a thorough peer-review process and has 3 members (2 voting and 1 alternate) on the NIAMS Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). The LACU maintains a close to real time and detailed animal inventory, the foster colony, a large breeding colony, and the sentinel program for the IRP animals. An approximately 1-hour training program, administered by the LACU colony manager, familiarizes all new NIAMS investigators and PIs with NIH and NIAMS-specific guidelines, a general overview of rodent colony management, and rodent biology as it relates to breeding and research guidelines. IRP project areas include arthritis, allergic rhinitis and other receptor-induced cellular responses, recombination/chromatin remodeling using AID transgenic mice, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), and TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome. Research involves muscle and related diseases (experimentation with N-RAP protein, glycogen storage disease Type II, SIRT1 gene, myofibril assembly, and myositis) and sub-cellular organelles and cytoskeleton in skeletal muscle, as well as in vitro experiments examining retroviral transduction, bone marrow transplantation, and epidermal differentiation using fetal and adult skin tissues. Many of the institutes studies involve apoptosis and autoimmunity, as well as cartilage studies focused on tissue-engineered cartilage, chondrogenesis, GDF-F, COMP and osteoarthritis. The NIAMS program continues to meet all accreditation requirements set forth by Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), and is preparing for the next NIH-wide visit in June of 2021.