Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Diseases Research(Nanjing University), Ministry of Education
Introduction
The key laboratory of “Model Animals and Disease Research” is aimed at applying such model animals as mice in a comprehensive way, improving such core technology as modification of genomes and analysis of disease models, carrying out fundamental and applied fundamental research in such aspects as the pathogenesis, the regulation mechanism, and potential targets of major diseases in the level of molecules, cells, organs and individuals so as to make a breakthrough in life science and medical research .
The close connection between the positioning of the laboratory and the mid- and long- term development outlines of China not only tallies with the theme of giving priority to major disease prevention and treatment in population and health, and with the research of targets discovering in frontier technology, but also intertwines with the biological basis of human health and diseases in fundamental research which is geared to the important strategic needs of China.
In the past five years, the Lab has made the following achievements:
general overlapping and integration of many disciplines such as genetics, cytology, auxology, bioinformatics and basic medicine;
forming the largest technology service platform for mice genome modification in Asia;
being the only state-level mouse strains depository for genetic engineering approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology;
becoming a domestically leading and internationally influential research team of model animals based on its own innovative team of the Ministry of Education;
a series of important research results in disease models; and
advancing the research in model animals, especially disease models of mouse strains, through cooperating with over a hundred labs at home and aboard by taking advantage of our technology and resources.
All of the five representative research achievements of the lab are in consistent with the designed research directions. It has systematically established a series of animal models for diseases research with independent intellectual propriety based on the development of the new technology of genome modification in model animals, illustrated the pathogenesis and the network of signals which participate in the occurrence of many major diseases, formed a largest technology service and resource platform of disease models of mouse strains in China and finally improved China’s research level in functional genomes and disease models.
The management of the lab is a director responsibility system under which the Director of Laboratory’s Academic Committee gives advice and the Professor Committee exercises the right of management. The director of the lab is responsible for daily management and the supreme power organ is the Professor Committee whose members respectively take charge of the management of scientific research, instruments and master candidates. And the main duty of the Academic Committee is to determine the research direction of the lab, to approve research projects and to evaluate research results of the lab. The director of the lab is responsible for the appointment of the leader of research projects, daily administration and academic matters of the lab, organizing the examination of the granting of cooperation funds, and meanwhile preparing annual reports.
