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EGAC now offers CRO services for mouse experiments

The Emory Gnotobiotic Animal Core (EGAC) now provides Contract Research Organization (CRO) services to support investigators conducting animal studies in clean, controlled environments. These services are available to academic researchers across universities as well as private industry partners, and are ideal for groups that prefer to outsource in vivo work, ensuring high‑quality studies without requiring direct access to the facility.

EGAC maintains mice under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions, reducing the risk of colonization by pathogenic bacteria that may influence baseline cytokine levels or confound experimental readouts. Through this support, EGAC can conduct in vivo experiments on behalf of investigators, using its state-of-the-art SPF barrier facilities to ensure consistent microbial control and strong experimental reproducibility.

Available CRO services include:

• Full execution of animal studies in a controlled, clean SPF facility
• Precise application of therapeutics and longitudinal sample collection
• Expert husbandry and adherence to standardized operating procedures
• Study design guidance and technical consultation
• Data collection, documentation, and comprehensive experimental support

For additional information or to discuss a project, please email EGAC.

How EGAC services support NAMs work

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is heavily investing in New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) which is advanced, human-relevant technologies that improve translational accuracy. In support of this shift, the EGAC can provide Human Microbiome-Associated (HMA) mice. These are germ-free mice that have been colonized with human fecal samples to establish a stable, human-derived microbiome. These mice are significant because they bridge the gap between preclinical models and human biology.

By carrying a humanized microbial community, HMA mice allow investigators to:

• Model human-specific microbiome functions that cannot be reproduced in conventional laboratory mice
• Study how the human gut microbiome influences immune development, metabolism, pathogen susceptibility, and therapeutic responses
• Evaluate the effects of drugs, dietary components, probiotics, and microbiota-targeted therapies in a system that more closely resembles human physiology
• Reduce translational failures by providing a more predictive modelfor human outcomes, aligning with NIH priorities for human-relevant testing platforms

Because they combine the experimental control of gnotobiotic ISO cage systems with the biological relevance of a human microbiota, HMA mice are increasingly recognized as a key NAM-compatible model for microbiome research, drug development, and mechanistic studies that aim to translate more effectively into clinical impact.