for assistance call: 1-888-673-3444
 
Weather Advisory
 February 16, 2025
Weather impacts shipments, particularly of live animals. Please check with your selected courier to learn how their shipping methods (e.g. air or ground shipment) and temperature restictions may impact your orders. While we recognize that shipping delays are frustrating, when it comes to live animal shipments, the safety and welfare of the animals comes first. 
In Need of a New Rat Model?
 February 16, 2025
Need a new rat model?  The RRRC in conjunction with the MU Animal Modeling Core (AMC) can assist with the generation of transgenic rats, create knock-out and knock-in rats using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and genetically manipulate rat embryonic stem cells to make chimeric animals.  Contact us to discuss your rat model needs and how we can help. 
Laboratory Animal Genetic Reporting (LAG-R) Guidelines Published
 July 07, 2024
The LAG-R framework (Laboratory Animal Genetic Reporting) is a set of guidelines to support more complete documentation of the genetic make-up of animals of all species that are used in research, with the aim of bolstering reproducibility, reliability, and overall scientific rigor. See Nature Communications (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49439-y).
GRCr8: A new rat reference assembly is now available.
 February 05, 2024
GRCr8 (GenBank NCBI # GCA_036323735.1) is the latest version of the rat reference genome assembly. See the Genome Reference Consortium (GRC) blog for more details.
Genotyping
The RRRC genotypes all lines upon arrival.  When provided, genotyping protocols supplied by donating investigators are validated and optimized.  When no genotyping protocol exists, the RRRC develops new gene-specific assays using a variety of techniques including standard PCR, RFLP analysis, High-Resolution Melt (HRM), RT-PCR, qPCR and Taqman (probe-based) methods.

For lines involving unique or uncharacterized genetic backgrounds and/or lines developed for QTL analysis which do not involve discrete genetic mutations, protocols involving genome-wide microsatellite analysis are developed.  

Genotyping protocols for individual rat models are available under "genetic description" in the strain profile.

RRRC genotyping protocols have been optimized for the reagents and conditions described in the protocols. To genotype animals, the RRRC recommends researchers validate the assays independently upon receipt of animals into their facility. Reaction cycling temperatures and times may require additional optimization based on the specific genotyping reagents and instrumentation used.

Please contact us if you have any questions or need assistance- our genotyping experts are alway available for consultation and can help you trouble-shoot your genotyping assays.