EMMA partner
CNR-IBC - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Instituto di Biologia Cellulare, Monterotondo, Italy
(Co-ordinator)
Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso"
Via E. Ramarini, 32
00016 Monterotondo Scalo (Roma)
Italy
The Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto di Biologia Cellulare (CNR-IBC) at the "A. Buzzati-Traverso"
International Campus at Monterotondo (Roma), is responsible for the management of the main EMMA facility and for the overall
administrative co-ordination of the project. The main server for the EMMA resource database (EMMA-RDB) is also located at the
CNR-IBC.
The 1,750-m2 Monterotondo facility was renovated and upgraded in 1997, including a new 650-m2 Specific-Pathogen-Free (SPF) barrier and new quarantine areas and cryopreservation, genotyping and sanitary analysis laboratories. With an estimated total capacity of 50,000-70,000 live animals and 100,000 frozen embryo/gamete vials, this is the largest research repository in Italy and the only Italian archive performing complete in-house processing and quality control of banked strains. During 1998 CNR-IBC, in collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory, successfully completed the functional validation of the renovated facility and its operating procedures for quarantine, importation, embryo/sperm cryopreservation and thawing, SPF re-derivation and quality control and shipping/receiving of mouse mutant strains. Sperm and ovary freezing protocols were also adopted. The SPF sanitary status of the animal colonies was validated in March 1999.
The submitted mutant strains are processed through importation, cryopreservation, SPF re-derivation and breeding at the Monterotondo facility. New mouse phenotyping facilities are also available, including a complete behavioural analysis unity. The CNR-IBC sanitary analysis laboratory is a member of the Laboratory Animal Health Monitoring Club. CNR-IBC organizes the annual Monterotondo Cryopreservation Course in collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory and with financial support by the EMMA network.
Prof. Glauco Tocchini-Valentini is the director of the CNR-IBC and co-ordinator of the EMMAinf Research Infrastructures Programme grant under the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission. CNR-IBC is a partner of the EUMODIC, MUGEN and EUCOMM European Consortia for functional genomics in the mouse model and of the CASIMIR European Coordination Action.