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Mouse Clinic for Cancer and Ageing (MCCA)

We help to understand age-related physiology and to develop new therapies against cancer and aging-related diseases Facility
We help to understand age-related physiology and to develop new therapies against cancer and aging-related diseases
The ageing population in developed countries leads to rapid increase in cancer incidence and other ageing-related disorders. The Mouse Clinic for Cancer and Ageing research (MCCA) accelerates cancer and ageing research.

We aim to accelerate the development of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of human cancer and ageing syndromes. These mouse models will be used for developing new therapies against cancer and ageing-related diseases.

In our facility we contribute to the theme of healthy ageing.

Relevance

Our collaborations

We collaborate with the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), European Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA), and the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG).

We collaborate with the MCCA NKI, housed in the NKI in Amsterdam:

  • Transgenic Facility
  • Mouse Cancer Clinic
  • Mouse Imaging Unit

Our facility comprises the five facilities below and is embedded in the:

Expertise and services

  • We provide external and internal researchers snap-frozen or paraffin-embedded tissues from young (4-8 months), middle aged (10-16 months), or old (20+ months) mice. We have tissues of three strains: C57Bl/6, Balb/c and DBA/2.

    Examples of the available tissues:

    • Digestive system
    • Lymphoid system
    • Thorax
    • Urogenital system
    • Endocrine organs
    • Neural
    • Miscellaneous other tissues such as serum

    A collection of spontaneously arisen tumors is also available.

    If you are interested contact: Ronald van Os
    Email address: [email protected]

  • Longevity studies with rodents

    Standardised and well controlled housing conditions for longevity studies with rodents.

    Visit the website: CDP (soon)

    Metabolic Phenotyping Services

    We offer a broad range of metabolic tests including advanced Metabolic Flux Analysis using stable isotopes. This expertise is unique in The Netherlands and allows the in vivo analysis of a broad range of metabolic processes including:

    • Insulin sensitivity using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HIEC) method
    • Biosynthesis and turnover of biological polymers (e.g. fatty acids, cholesterol, and glycogen) using Mass isotopomer distribution analysis (MIDA)
    • Hepatic carbohydrate fluxes including gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis and glycogenolysis
    • Steady-state glucose homeostasis using tracer kinetics
    • Hepatic lipid metabolism including de novo lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and TG secretion
    • Lipolysis using glycerol and palmitate turnover
    • Intestinal lipid and glucose absorption
    • Cholesterol metabolism using dual (intravenous/oral) stable isotope tracer analysis (e.g. trans-intestinal cholesterol elimination (TICE))
    • Advanced analysis of kinetics and enterohepatic circulation of bile acids
    • Targeted proteomic analyses to study specific metabolic pathways
    • In vivo whole-body metabolic analysis: Calorimetry (16 cages), Climate Chambers, Feeding & Drinking, Body weight monitoring, activity modules, implantable Telemetry (body temperature, blood pressure),
    • 13CO2 sensor for real-time continuous quantification of exogenous and whole-body substrate oxidation
    • Germ Free unit where mice can be housed and bred in isolators.
    • Body composition analysis (MRI)

    If you are interested contact: Hans Jonker
    Email address: [email protected]

  • We offer different gene editing tools to generate innovative genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) for biomedical research.

    Visit facility: Transgenic Mouse Unit

  • We provides cutting–edge techniques and expertise in the molecular and morphological analysis for qualified analysis of genetically modified animals and animal models of human diseases.

    Visit facility: Dutch Mouse Pathology Centre

  • We unite small animal imaging modalities to achieve excellent multi-modality imaging by sharing expertise and by providing a single portal for internal and external researchers.

    Visit facility: Gronsai