The number of genetically altered mice with relevance or potential relevance to metabolic disease continues to grow. The techniques necessary to study the impact of genetic manipulations on metabolic and endocrine processes are specialized. Mouse metabolic phenotyping centers around the world aim to characterize mouse metabolism, blood composition including hormones and metabolites, energy balance, eating and exercise, organ function and morphology, physiology and histology. Many tests are performed in living animals and are designed to clarify the subtle to complex traits that would define models of metabolic disease. The metabolic data combined with locomotors and behavioral phenotyping tests which are available at the Lorry I. Lokey preclinical research facility (MAMTAK), provide a platform for wide characterization of transgenic/knockout mouse models potentially useful for understanding metabolic alterations and metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes and its complications.
Yael Kuperman
Consulting and assistance can be given regarding other measurements or tests including high-fat diet usage, glucose homeostasis related tests (glucose/insulin/pyruvate tolerance tests), assessing menstrual cycle phase, tissue dissection and perfusion.
You must have an IACUC approved protocol under which these animals will be studied.
Scheduling
Any instrument at the Mouse metabolic unit is available to anyone who is authorized. Please contact Dr. Yael Kuperman for authorization process. Authorization will require a training process (please do not start your experiment before authorization to use any instrument). All experiments must be scheduled online through Internal Services > Behavioral and physiological phenotyping unit.