EMMA projects - EMMAservice

 

The EMMAservice project is a four year Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (I3) project that started in January 2009. EMMAservice is funded by the EC FP7 Capacities Specific Program.

The EMMAservice project is building on the achievements of its successful predecessor, the EMMAinf project that was funded by the EC FP6 Infrastructures Program. Please see here for a summary of EMMAinf partners, objectives, activities and achievements.

Objectives of EMMAservice

The mouse shows great similarities in development, physiology and biochemistry to humans, which makes it a key model for research into human disease. The major challenges for mouse functional genomics in the 21st century are to:

• Develop a series of mutant alleles for every gene in the mouse genome

• Determine the phenotypic consequences of each mutation

• Identify mouse models for the complete disease spectrum in humans

• Provide reliable access to mouse models and associated data

To exploit the resources emerging from initiatives such as the International Knock Out Mouse Consortium (IKMC), mouse models must be preserved and made available to the entire European biomedical research community, which is wholly dependent on new mouse models of human disease. Building on EMMA's previous achievements as the primary mouse repository in Europe, EMMAservice aims to meet the future challenges presented by archiving and disseminating mouse models in the ERA as follows:

• Archiving of 1224 new mouse mutant lines in support of individual depositors and also European mouse genetics programmes

• Support of eligible customers with free of charge Transnational Access for up to 20% of requested mouse resources

• Technology development will underpin the archiving and distribution efforts by advancing current sperm freezing technology

• Training courses will promote the shipment of frozen germplasm rather than live mice

• EMMA informatics will support user services by setting new standards for user friendly access to EMMA services, extensive data curation and cross referencing with other mouse database resources

• Outreach efforts to attract users will be widened and directed towards the translational research community

EMMAservice will contribute significantly to the development of a world leading repository and European capacity in mouse disease model archiving and distribution, supporting the needs of the wider European biomedical research community. The emerging mouse mutant and associated data resources will offer the opportunity to decipher molecular disease mechanisms and may, in some instances, provide the foundation for the development of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies.

The EMMAservice project is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (I3) combining, in a closely co-ordinated manner: (i) Networking activities, (ii) Transnational access and/or service activities and (iii) Joint research activities. All three categories of activities are mandatory as synergistic effects are expected from these different components. Further details of I3 initiatives and TA activities are provided in the WORK PROGRAMME 2009 CAPACITIES PART 1 RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES (European Commission C(2008)4566 of 26 August 2008), page 20-21.