• Manuscript accepted for publication in Scientific Reports

The manuscript titled “Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats” was accepted in Scientific Reports. Authors include Keita Ishiwari, Christopher P. King, Connor D. Martin, Jordan A. Trip, Anthony M. George, Alexander C. Lamparelli, Apurva Chitre, Oksana Polesskaya, Jerry B. Richards, Leah C. Solberg Woods, Amy Gancarz, Abraham A. Palmer, David … Read more…

• IMGC2015 – registration is open

Registration and abstract submission for the 29th International Mammalian Genome Conference IMGC2015 that will be held from November 8th to November 11th, 2015 in Yokohama, Japan are now open. See more at http://www.imgc2015.jp/registration.html

• MCW Gene Editing Rat Resource Center is pleased to announce that the 4th round of applications for gene nominations for genetically modified rats are now being accepted!

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded the Medical College of Wisconsin an R24 Resource grant to make ~200 genetically modified rat strains over the next five years. These models will be of interest and value to the mission of the NHLBI. The NHLBI promotes the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases through scientific discovery directed toward the causes of disease and translation of basic discoveries into clinical practice.

Round 4 Deadline: April 12, 2015 (Midnight Milwaukee, WI time). Submit completed application to: [email protected].

More information: http://rgd.mcw.edu/wg/gerrc

• GWAS can be now performed under FOA “The Identification of Gene Variants for Addiction Related Traits by Next-Gen Sequencing in Model Organisms Selectively Bred for Addiction Traits”

The U01 replaces the UH2/UH3 so it has more flexibility and GWAS can now be performed.

“The Identification of Gene Variants for Addiction Related Traits by Next-Gen Sequencing in Model Organisms Selectively Bred for Addiction Traits (UH2/UH3)” FOA and Notice of Change are now published. Please see the links below:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DA-15-042.html

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-15-120.html

2014 Pilot Grants awarded

Congratulations to the 2014 Pilot Grants recipients:

Dr. Xiaoxi Zhuang, University of Chicago. “GWAS of nicotine-induced behavioral sensitization in Drosophila”

Drs. Nancy Cox and Hae Kyung Im, University of Chicago. “Applying PrediXcan to Genes implicated in Rat Neurobehavioral Studies”

Dr. Martin Sarter, University of Michigan. “CHT regression as a Neuromarker of Sign-Tracking”

Dr. Paul Meyer, University at Buffalo. “The effects of cadherin-13 gene deletion on addiction-like behaviors”

NIDA researchers confirm important brain reward pathway

NIH study in rodents identifies a pathway that starts with glutamate and ends with activation of dopamine reward system Details of the role of glutamate, the brain’s excitatory chemical, in a drug reward pathway have been identified for the first time. This discovery in rodents — published today in Nature Communications — shows that stimulation … Read more…

Pilot Project Grants Submitted

Seven pilot project grant proposals for research projects connected to the NIDA Center for GWAS in Rats were submitted in response to the initial call for submissions. They span a wide range of research disciplines from fruit fly genetics to bioinformatics, each is intended to enhance the impact of the center. The principal investigator of … Read more…

Rat Genomics and Models – Ensembl workshop

ENSEMBL, a joint scientific project between the European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, will be organizing a workshop on rat genomics and models on December 4 and 5, 2014. ENSEMBL have just released the first set of golden genes in rat, i.e. the merge between the Ensembl automatic and the Havana manual … Read more…

Big Data Science Exhibition Grant Awarded to University of Chicago

Dr. Barry Aprison Funding to develop a creative concept for a new big data traveling science exhibition was recently awarded to the University of Chicago. As a result, NIDA Center of Excellence Education & Outreach Director, Dr. Barry Aprison, will use the a supplemental NIH grant to the P50 Center project (PI: Dr. Abraham Palmer), … Read more…