Request for Funding

Mentor: David L. Garbers, Ph.D.
Department: Pharmacology, The Cecil H. & Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, & Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Room number: Y6.322
Mail Code: 9051
Phone number: 214-648-5090
E-mail: David.Garbers@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Development of technology for the development of animal genetic models

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):
APN #s 0490-03-01-1C, 0490-04-05-1, 0490-03-07-1, 0490-03-01-1D, 0490-03-01-1J

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Animal-based and basic research

Brief Description of Project:

The project will concentrate on targeting the germ line. At this moment 3 major goals are envisioned: First, to successfully culture and expand male germ stem cells in vitro, second to successfully produce pluripotent stem cells through interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer, and third to identify genes specifically critical to sperm function. The end-point of all of these projects could have a large impact in Medicine and Agriculture. For example, the identification of specific genes in spermatozoa to achieve successful fertilization could lead to the development of non-steroidal, male-directed, contraceptives. Since the gene targets are only expressed in spermatozoa, such a contraceptive could also show complete cell specificity.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

1999-2000 Research project with medical student Aimee Seungdamrong, Development of in vitro gametogenesis technology.

Publication with MSTP rotation student Vivek Arora:
Baude, E.J., Arora, V.K., Yu, S., Garbers, D.L. and Wedel, B.J. (1997) The cloning of a Caenorhabditis elegans guanylyl cyclase and the construction of a ligand-sensitive mammalian/nematode chimeric receptor. J. Biol. Chem. 272:16035-16039.

Return to UT Southwestern Homepage

Return to Student Research Projects Index