The Swine Core is a unique resource of Indiana University School of Medicine and Purdue University, and the core serves as a regional and national shared resource.
Under the direction of Michael Sturek, PhD, this core utilizes a novel breeding colony of Ossabaw miniature swine. An obesogenic diet unmasks their genetic propensity to metabolic syndrome, thereby making the Ossabaw swine an excellent humanoid model.
The Ossabaws from the Swine Core have been used for 30 purposes, including skeletal muscle metabolism, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, lithotripsy of kidney stones, bariatric surgery, and more.
Services
The core provides long-term swine maintenance, phenotyping (glucose tolerance tests, body composition, glucose clamp and imaging studies, etc.), and treatments (e.g. drug, exercise, cell therapies).
Full genome sequence is available and tissues (banked and fresh) are provided for analysis ex vivo. Initial consulting on study design is a key service.