National Ferret Research and Resource Institute (NFRRI) at University of Iowa

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While genetic mouse models have been the backbone of translational biomedical research for the past four decades, mice often fail to model human disease due to species-specific differences in the cell biology of the affected organs, as well as the evolutionary divergence of their genome. The ferret has proven an excellent species for modeling infectious disease (including SARS-CoV2) and human diseases of the brain, pancreas, and lung when mice have failed. The University of Iowa (UI) is the only location in the world capable of genetically engineering ferrets with multiple precise genetic alterations previously only achievable in mice. This technology has enabled the construction of genetic ferret models capable of fate mapping stem cell compartments (i.e., lineage tracing), modeling human diseases including those with humanized genetic loci, and conditional genetics using Cre recombinase. A federally-funded National Ferret Research and Resource Center was formed eight years ago, which provides services for the creation of new genetic ferret models, performing research studies in ferrets, and the distribution of tissues and cells from existing genetic lines. This national resource has provided services to more than 129 academic investigators,108 of which are outside the UI, and currently has 8 contracts with biotechnology companies seeking to develop therapies for genetic and acquired diseases using ferret models. These services have exceeded the capacity of facilities for both performing research in ferrets and housing ferrets on the UI campus. This proposal seeks to design and construct a research facility that will house the National Ferret Research and Resource Institute (NFRRI) on the UI campus. The proposed facility has been designed to maximize synergy and minimize overlap with existing facilities at UI and will be adjacent and connected to existing ferret expansion housing (referred to as the BSRF facility). The NFRRI will contain state- of-the-art equipment for genetically engineering ferret zygotes and performing research in ferrets. Procedural space will include a USDA-compliant sterile surgical suite and separate microinjection room for model creation. In addition to wet lab research space, specialized procedural suites will accommodate nebulization, pulmonary function testing, and specialized imaging equipment. The NFRRI will primarily provide services to academic investigators outside UI and for-profit biotechnology companies, but will also provide ferret models for research that will occur on the main UI campus in existing research facilities. Furthermore, the chosen location for the facility has adjacent land for future expansion of research space and ferret housing with a long-term strategic plan that recruits next-generation leaders of the NFRRI and capitalizes on existing relationships with for-profit biotechnology companies seeking to develop therapies for human diseases in preclinical ferret models. The short- and long-term strategic goals of the NFRRI will be facilitated through financial partnerships with the University of Iowa (cost sharing of the NFRRI building), Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Marshall Farms (the largest breeder of ferrets for research).