Taconic Insights

Here's our recap of the top Insight posts from the summer you might have missed! 1. Translational Microbiome Infographic Are you beginning your studies in the Microbiome and don't know where to start? Download and print out the Translational Microbiome at a Glance Infographic to give you a quick reference into this valuable area of research — Find out more! 2. New PBMC-Humanized Mice Support Efficient NK-Cell...

Source: CASIS The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) recently announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for investigators seeking to access biological specimens from its Rodent Research Reference Mission-1, Applications for Spaceflight Biospecimens. The BALB/c mice for the space flight are provided by Taconic Biosciences. Taconic Biosciences has provided mice and rats for spaceflight research since 1985. CASIS intends to send 40 BALB/c mice...

Researchers from the Statens Serum Institut (State Serum Institute), Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU, Technical University of Denmark) and Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration) recently identified the source of a botulism outbreak that affected nine people in June 2018. The affected people became ill after a dinner party in Sønderborg, Denmark. Botulism is a type of food poisoning caused by a common soil bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, which...

On August 27, 2018, researchers at University of Szeged, Allen Institute for Brain Science, J. Craig Venter Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Illumina, Inc., and University of California, San Diego published a paper titled, Transcriptomic and morphophysiological evidence for a specialized human cortical GABAergic cell type in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The research was featured on NPR and looks at newly discovered neurons named "rose hip neurons"...

The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are conditions regulated by a combination of genetic, immune and microbial factors. Although it is a normal component of host defense against pathogens, neutrophil influx to the intestinal lumen is also associated with severe pathology in IBD. In a recent manuscript by Szabady et al., the authors demonstrate a novel role for endocannabinoid compounds in regulating intestinal inflammation by limiting neutrophil migration...

As HIV-infected individuals live longer thanks to antiretroviral (ARV) therapies, chronic liver disease is becoming a major issue. Research into HIV-and ARV-induced hepatotoxicity has been limited due to the lack of relevant preclinical models. Humanized Mouse Models of HIV A recent study by Dagur et al. describes a novel method for studying the human liver in the context HIV-1 infection, using a dual reconstituted humanized mouse model...

New research offers insights into the connection between regulatory T cells and ILC3-driven colitis, suggesting opportunities for checkpoint modulation therapies. Researchers at Merck and the University of Bern explored the role of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in innate lymphoid cell 3 (ILC3)-driven colitis. The researchers found that Treg cells inhibited production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines which drive ILC3 production of interleukin 22 (IL-22). They identified...

On August 8, 2018, Randi Lundberg, DVM, PhD published a review paper titled, Humanizing the gut microbiota of mice: Opportunities and challenges in the journal, Laboratory Animals. The author acknowledges the need for in vivo models to study the human microbiome's interaction with a biologically relevant host. Mice are one of the most popular animal models used in biomedical research and have been adopted as one of...

In a recent webinar, Dr. Alex Rodriguez-Palacios of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine discussed the use of a new, low-cost caging system for conducting microbiome research in rodents. The speaker shared their experience with the NesTiso system and discussed: How NesTiso makes gnotobiotic research simple and practical How to inexpensively verify the germ-free status of your models How the portability of NesTiso systems accelerate gnotobiotic...

As people increasingly rely on smartphones and tablets, it should come as no surprise that this trend also exists in laboratories. While this is unlikely to pose a problem in your kitchen when using your phone as a cooking timer, there are potential issues associated with use of smartphones and tablets in laboratory animal facilities. Such devices can be contaminated with bacteria, including pathogenic species which some...