Sept. 1, 2026
Access to the right cells at the right time can mean all the difference for a research experiment.
Mizzou’s Animal Modeling Core (AMC) recently partnered with the UCLA Human Stem Cell & Genome Engineering Center to provide more ready access to advanced stem cells services and expert guidance in selecting the approaches best suited to their research.
The collaboration expands the AMC’s capabilities into an area not previously available as a centralized service on campus.
“This allows the AMC to serve as a centralized access point for advanced iPSC reprogramming, precision genome engineering, stem cell characterization, genomic quality control, and cell line banking services,” AMC Director Daniel Davis said. “These capabilities are especially timely as the National Institutes of Health continues to invest in New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and human-relevant research models.”
For the AMC, the expansion is a natural complement to its existing animal model generation and genome-engineering services. Genetically engineered mice and rats remain essential for understanding disease in the context of a whole organism, while human iPSC models allow researchers to study disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses directly in genetically defined human cells.
“Animal models and iPSC-based models answer different but highly complementary questions,” Davis said. “By helping investigators access both, we can support studies that move from human cellular systems to whole-animal biology, or use the two approaches together to strengthen confidence in experimental findings.”
The timing is also significant as biomedical research increasingly incorporates human-relevant experimental systems alongside traditional animal models. NIH and other research organizations have placed growing emphasis on New Approach Methodologies, or NAMs, which include human cell-based systems that can complement in vivo studies and help improve the translation of research findings.
“These capabilities are especially timely as NIH continues to invest in New Approach Methodologies and human-relevant research models,” Davis said. “iPSCs give investigators another powerful tool for studying human genetic variation, disease mechanisms and potential therapies, while our existing animal-modeling capabilities provide the physiological context that cell-based systems alone cannot reproduce.”
For Mizzou investigators, the partnership connects labs with established expertise and infrastructure for reprogramming, genome engineering, characterization, and cell line banking.
“The benefit is that our researchers can now explore sophisticated iPSC-based approaches without needing to build that infrastructure locally,” Davis said. “The best place to start is by contacting the AMC so we can discuss the project goals, assess feasibility, and help identify the most appropriate workflow.”
Researchers interested in iPSC-based studies are encouraged to contact AMC staff early in project development to discuss experimental design and determine which services may be most appropriate.
For more information, visit the Animal Modeling Core page or contact Davis at davisdaniel@missouri.edu or (573) 884-1804.