MRC Harwell, UK — November 30, 2012 - The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) announces that Taconic, a leading provider of life sciences solutions, has agreed to help support the mission of the IMPC by becoming a Corporate Sponsor. Taconic is a provider of mouse models and advanced scientific services and shares the scientific vision of the IMPC to determine the function of every gene in the mouse genome. The IMPC recently released a call for industrial partnerships for industry to work with the IMPC at a variety of levels. As a result Taconic has become the first corporate sponsor of IMPC. The call for partners is still open and IMPC welcomes further industrial partners and sponsors to support the efforts of IMPC.
Professor Steve Brown, Chair of the IMPC Steering Committee, said: "The IMPC has 16 research institutions and 6 national funders as members and forms a substantial customer base. As a result of this call for industry partners, we are pleased to announce Taconic as the first Corporate Sponsor of IMPC and look forward to good interchanges between Taconic and IMPC to further the use of the mouse to study gene function and underlying human disease."
"Taconic shares the IMPC's goal of making genetically modified mouse models readily available as research tools to improve human health," said Todd Little, Taconic President and CEO. "We see great value in the consortium's initiative, as the phenotypic data generated by the IMPC will advance the utility of genetically modified models in drug discovery and development."
Taconic desires to support the IMPC's worldwide efforts, namely producing knockout mice, conducting phenotyping of each line, and making those lines readily available to the research community for use in basic scientific research and the generation of new models for human disease. Taconic can support the IMPC in two essential ways: by offering mouse models with stable and genetically consistent backgrounds; and by offering advanced breeding technologies to IMPC members and the research community in order to have fast and easy access to study ready cohorts of mice.
Among others, Taconic offers its C57BL/6NTac mouse, a standard background for genetically modified models and the genetic background of a considerable number of KO mice produced for phenotyping by IMPC. This partnership will allow IMPC to gain information and access to Taconic's capabilities in generating study ready cohorts of mice from ES cells, as well as advanced embryology services and breeding support, drawing on its 60 year history as a leader in mouse breeding.
About IMPC
The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) is a group of major mouse genetics research institutions formed, along with national funding organizations, to address the challenge of developing an encyclopedia of mammalian gene function. The IMPC is undertaking a ten year program of broad-based, systematic genome-wide phenotyping of knockout mice generated from the embryonic stem cell mutant resources developed by the International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC). The goal of the current Phase I is to produce and phenotype 5,000 mouse lines in five years to serve as the pilot for the larger Phase II program: to complete the production and phenotyping of the mammalian genome in the second five year period. To help accomplish these goals, the IMPC is requesting input and potential partnerships with the private sector. The IMPC currently comprises 16 Research and 6 Funding members, and together makes a substantial customer base and opportunity for scientific synergy with industry. More information on the IMPC is available at www.mousephenotype.org.
For IMPC media inquiries:
Mark Moore
IMPC Executive Director
m.moore@mousephenotype.org
About Taconic
Taconic is a leading provider of life sciences solutions to researchers worldwide, offering innovative lab animal models and scientific services that facilitate in vivo studies and advance drug discovery. Taconic's wide range of advanced solutions include custom model design, generation and production, off-the-shelf model repositories, custom breeding, genetic monitoring and health testing. Headquartered in New York's Hudson River Valley, Taconic operates seven breeding facilities and three service laboratories in the U.S. and Europe and maintains a staff of over 750 scientific specialists committed to technological innovation.