HS rats breeding colony history

1984: Colony initiated and maintained at NIH (Generations 1-50)
–60 breeder pairs, random mating


2003: colony transferred to Northwestern University (Dr. Eva Redei; Generations 51-55)
–25 breeder pairs


2006: colony transferred to Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW; Dr. Solberg Wood)
–46 breeder pairs, circular mating (Generations 56-70)
–2014: increase to 64 breeder pairs, use mating program to mate distantly related pairs (Generations 71-81)


2017: colony transferred to Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM; Dr. Solberg Woods)
–45 breeder pairs, mating program to mate distantly related pairs (Generations 80 – 82)


2018: increase to 65 breeder pairs, mating program to mate distantly related pairs (Generations 83 – 86)


2019: increase to 90 breeder pairs, mating program to mate distantly related pairs (Generations 87 – present)


2020: embryo cryopreservation at RRRC (Generation 88 males with generation 89 females)
–Embryos collected from 76 HS families

2022: HS West established in UCSD from Generation 97 (56+41)

–64 breeder pairs, mating program to mate distantly related pairs