About
The Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core team of experts are here to help you achieve your goals. Please reach out with any questions at any stage in the process.
The TMF Core is supported by the Emory University School of Medicine and is one of the Emory Integrated Core Facilities (EICF). We provide state of the art equipment and expertise for generating and characterizing genetically altered mouse models.
Please contact us at MouseCore@emory.edu so that we may assist you
TMF Leadership
Karolina Nitsche, MSc, PhD
Core Director
Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core
Dr. Karolina Nitsche is the EICF Scientist and Core Director for the Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core Facility since 2019. She has worked in the Core since 2014 and served as Associate Director since 2017. She is a mammalian embryologist with nearly 20 years of experience in the field of reproductive and developmental biology and genetics.
She obtained her PhD in Experimental Embryology from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Consequently, she performed postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Emory’s Department of Human Genetics. Dr. Nitsche enjoys serving Emory investigators.
She has been heavily involved in establishing outstanding service in generating CRISPR-edited alleles, creating a highly efficient standard operating protocols for the Core, and introducing new ones like rat sperm and embryo cryopreservation service.
Tamara Caspary, PhD
Scientific Director
Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core
TMF Team
Steven Roache, RLATg
Research Specialist, Lead
Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core
steven.roache@emoryhealthcare.org
Steven Roache is a Lead Research Specialist with an extensive career background in animal handing techniques and procedures. Steven’s animal research career began at University of Pennsylvania as an Animal Laboratory Technician. Over the past 15 years, Steven has worked at laboratories at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia/Charles River, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For the past five years, Steven has been employed at Emory University in various laboratory and research departments. Steven started at Emory in 2015, working as animal technologist at T3 labs, an offsite laboratory facility in Downtown Atlanta, GA. Later that year, Steven was working for the Division of Animal Resources (DAR) at Emory University’s main campus on the Clifton Corridor. In 2016, Steven started working full time with the Transgenic Mouse and Gene Targeting (TMF) Core as a Research Specialist. In the TMF, Steven performs various procedures such as surgery preparation, maintaining rodent colony, animal injections, paired mating, PCR applications, and gel electrophoresis. Steven has been certified by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) as an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) and a Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATg).
(LATg).
John Wambua, BVM, LATg
Research Specialist, Lead
Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core
John Wambua recently joined the Mouse Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core Lab as a Research Specialist, Lead.
John has been employed at Emory University for the past fourteen years, since 2008. He joined Emory University Primate Center’s (EPC) field station as Veterinary Technician in 2008 and later moved to the Colony Management unit as a Research Specialist in 2009. In 2010 he transferred to Emory Primate Center’s main station to work as a Research Specialist in the Research Technical Services unit and was later promoted to Lead Research Specialist in 2016.
Prior to joining Emory University, John worked for Mercer University’s Animal Research Vivarium as an Animal Care and Research Assistant.
John obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine from Nairobi University, Kenya in 1990. Upon completion of his Veterinary degree, and between 1991 and 2005, John trained and worked as a Wildlife Veterinarian for the Kenya’s Wildlife department, private wildlife ranches and farms. In 2006 he was contracted to work as a Wildlife Veterinarian for the Endangered Wildlife Breeding Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He moved to the USA in 2007.
John has long experience in various animal species anesthesia and restraint, health and behavior assessment, specimen collection as well as administration of experimental and treatment agents via various routes.
John is a certified Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATg) by American Association for Laboratory Animal science (AALAS).
