Outline of Advanced Animal Model Support

Jun-ichiro Inoue Principal Investigator for Advanced Animal Model Support

"Platforms for Advanced Technologies and Research Resources" was launched in fiscal year (FY) 2016 under the new framework of the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas.

The project has succeeded to and developed the previous program "Support Programs for Three Fields in Life Sciences (Cancer, Genome and Brain Sciences)" conducted between FY 2012 and 2015.

Both programs were established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) under the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas.

"Platforms for Advanced Technologies and Research Resources" aims to establish the academic research support platform to efficiently support the researchers in grants-in-aid, who have various needs to conduct their academic research. Further, it aims to work in close cooperation with the relevant core bodies such as inter-university research institutes and Joint Usage / Research Centers.

In such circumstances, "Advanced Animal Model Support" was selected as one of "Advanced Technology Foundation Support Program".

The program provides technical support and the use of research facilities for researchers in a wide variety of scientific fields by incorporating several institutions and facilities into work on the cutting-edge and academic techniques.
We provide animal model construction and its analysis support, and molecular profiling support, both of which are highly advanced and academically valuable.
Those supports are conducted at the core institution (the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo: IMSUT), collaborative institutions and facilities, and the relevant institutions with support in combination with highly specialized and advanced techniques.

Objectives of the Research Support

Life science research using animal model is very important because it clarifies that the fundamental research results and theory obtained by the cultured cells are applicable to highly organized models. Also it clarifies the activities and phenotypes affected by genetic modification using those genetically modified animals.

To achieve excellent research results, we present two support services: an appropriate and speedy construction of animal models using genetic engineering and embryo manipulating methods, and a high-skilled technique to determine the phenotype in the generated mouse model.

We provide support to construct advanced animal models such as genetically modified animals, and to conduct its pathological and physiological analysis.

Further, we support to connect the animal model research and the cell research by applying advance molecular screening and profiling.

Please click here to see our FY 2020 Research Support Plan.

In closing, I encourage life science researchers to take advantage of the opportunity offered from our platform for generating their and their project groups' results in academic science as well as to publish the results to the world.

I sincerely hope that they will promote a dialogue with the general public about science and technology through the applicant’s publication and enlightenment on the generated results and contents of their scientific work.

I would like to thank all visitors in general for the applicant’s support and understanding about the research activities and the researchers. I hope the site content on the researches gives the readers the insights into Japan's current circumstances and achievements in life sciences.