NCI LASP Gnotobiotics Facility (GF)

The Laboratory Animal Sciences Program (LASP) of the Frederick National Laboratory operates a Gnotobiotics Facility (GF) to support research focused on the role of microbiota in cancer inflammation, pathogenesis, and treatment response. The GF can rederive mice into germ-free status, expand colonies of axenic and gnotobiotic mice, and maintain microbiome-defined lines of animals. The team also has extensive experience working with animal models in basic and translational research, particularly in the fields of immunology and cancer.

The GF works closely with Investigators throughout all stages of the project. They assist with animal study proposals coordinating and scheduling experimental studies, implementing and carrying out all experimental aspects of studies, providing regular progress reports and delivering detailed results. The Gnotobiotics Facility collaborates closely with LASP cores such as the Animal Diagnostics Laboratory (ADL), the Small Animal Imaging Program (SAIP), the Mouse Modeling Core (MMC), and the Molecular Histopathology Laboratory (MHL) to coordinate workflows and services.

Major Areas of Support

• Flexible film isolator and ABSL2 biocontainment rack housing.
• Germ-free strain rederivation and colony expansion.
• Colony Management for rodent line maintenance, expansion, and cohort production.
• Genetic, viral, or chemical disease induction in mouse models.
• Sub-cutaneous, intravenous, retroorbital, intraperitoneal, mammary fat pad, intracardiac and intra-muscular tumor cell implants.
• Procedures aimed at assessment of immune functions such as bone marrow transplantations, adoptive cell transfers, immunizations.
• Administration of investigational compounds via medicated water, customized diets, topical skin painting, or injections such as intraperitoneal (IP), sub-cutaneous (SC), intravenous (IV), intra-gastric (IG), intra-or peri-tumoral, intra-muscular (IM).
• Preclinical evaluation on disease models that includes toxicity, pharmacokinetics and efficacy studies.
• Microbial or fecal transplant association studies.
• Comprehensive necropsy and specimen collection throughout all phases of the study.
• Collection of body fluids, fecal samples and tissues including perfusion and customized sample preservation.
• Additional procedures upon request.