Tuesday, April 1, 2025
4/1/2025
The National Resource for Aplysia - The mission of the National Resource for Aplysia at the University of Miami (the Resource) is to produce and distribute consistently high-quality cultured sea hares, Aplysia californica, for biomedical research and education and to improve the usefulness of this model system by applied research. Aplysia has played a vital role in fundamental discoveries of how cellular and molecular changes in the nervous system underlie basic behaviors, learning, and memory, due to unique characteristics of the simple nervous system that provide an ideal model system for such studies. The 3 aims of the proposed continuation of this Resource program are: 1. Animal Culture, Distribution and Health Monitoring – The Resource will continue to culture A. californica and make all life stages, from eggs to large adults, available to researchers at a reasonable cost. We anticipate sales will continue at a level of 8,000-10,000 animals per year. We will also accommodate requests by users for separately reared cohorts, specialized diets, or harvesting of specific tissues for RNA or DNA. We will monitor naturally occurring Aplysia abyssovirus (AAbV) in cohorts to better understand the potential impacts of this virus and to provide information about virus levels to users. In addition, we will make available additional specialized animals as developed in our Applied Research programs. 2. Curation and Informatics – An improved system for management of stocks from egg laying throughout the lifespan will be created and made publicly available through a web interface. The established website will be enhanced to include additional content on uses of the Aplysia model system for human health research and teaching. Our online ordering system will be improved. Training opportunities for graduate students, undergraduate teaching labs, and public outreach activities using Aplysia will be expanded and enhanced. 3. Applied Research – We will conduct two applied research projects that will expand the usefulness of this model system. 3.1 Developing Aplysia as a model of enhanced susceptibility of the aged to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) – Aplysia is hypoxia-resistant, and likely has adaptations to resist IRI. Markers of IRI, such as variations in mitochondrial function, will be studied in abdominal ganglia exposed to ischemia and ischemia plus reperfusion. We will also examine the impact of age and pre-exposure to hypoxia on IRI. Developing this model may allow users to investigate the impacts of IRI on neural excitability and may lead to novel avenues of research and innovation in therapies. 3.2 Developing Aplysia as a model to study enhanced susceptibility of the aged to myocardial IRI – Impacts of IRI on cardiac function as well as other IRI markers will be studied. As above, the impact of age and pre-exposure to hypoxia on IRI will be investigated. This aim will begin to pinpoint what adaptations Aplysia heart employs to mitigate hypoxic damage, and if those adaptations persist as an organism ages. Developing Aplysia as a cardiac model will potentially expand this model organism to uses beyond the nervous system.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).