EMMA partner
GIE-CERBM - Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch/Strasbourg, France
1, rue Laurent Fries
BP 10142
67404 Illkirch Cedex
France
The Institut Clinique de la Souris (Mouse Clinical Institute - ICS/MCI) (director: Prof. Jean-Louis
Mandel, since June 2008; Prof. Johan Auwerx acting codirector until December 2008)
is run by the Centre Européen de Recherche en Biologie et Médècine - Groupement d'Intérêt
Economique (GIE-CERBM), a non-profit organization, and currently employs ± 110 scientists and
technicians (with > 50% women) in a 4500 m² facility. It benefits from its close interactions with
the IGBMC, one of the major French research institutes (with over 600 scientists and technicians;
directed by Dr. Dino Moras), the Strasbourg Genopole, focussed on the theme 'From gene to drugs', and the
'Pole de Compétivité' focussed on the theme 'Therapeutic Innovations', which regroups
scientists with an interest in functional genomics.
ICS major activities are the creation and phenotyping of genetically modified mouse lines for functional genomics approaches and as models for human pathologies or for evaluating potential therapeutic targets. The MCI uses mostly a targeted mutagenesis strategy, with a special emphasis on spatially and temporally controlled somatic mutagenesis in the mouse, allowing mammalian functional genomics analysis throughout development and post-natal life. The ICS and IGBMC were amongst the 1st centres to implement such a temporally controlled somatic mutagenesis strategy. ICS has established an in-depth high throughput mouse phenotypic screening platform covering all important organ systems, including but not limited to clinical, biochemical, cardiovascular, behavioral and histopathological tests and also molecular analysis. The ICS is implementing an accessible mouse phenomics database, enabling the storage, retrieval, and analysis of data related to mouse mutants and their phenotype. The ICS has the capacity to generate and phenotype ± 150 mutant mouse lines per year and has generated since its inception in 2002 over 600 mouse lines for both academic and industrial partners, and has been involved since the 5th framework programme in large European projects on mouse functional genomics (Eumorphia, EUCOMM, EUMODIC, Eurexpress etc...). The ICS staff is well experienced in the generation and characterization of mouse models. The ICS has a fully operational microinjection unit with five experienced technicians supervised by a senior Ph.D. research scientist, that will carry out the work to be undertaken for the EMMA program.
Prof. Jean-Louis Mandel, M.D., Ph.D. is well known for his work on neurologic and neuromuscular monogenic diseases, from gene identification to pathomechanisms and development of mouse models, and has won several international prizes, including the Louis Jeantet prize for Medicine. Prof. Dr. Johan Auwerx, M.D. is recognized internationally as an expert in metabolic diseases, molecular biology, and mouse molecular genetics and phenotyping and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2003. Dr. Tania Sorg, technical director of the ICS since its inception, Drs. Marie-Christine Birling and Guillaume Pavlovic, Mutagenesis and Transgenesis Department and Dr. Abdel Ayadi, Animal Facility manager, have long experience in mouse models generation in academia and industry and will lead the work for EMMA. Dr. Mohammed Selloum (Pharm.D.) is the EMMA project coordinator at ICS.