The Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center held a grand opening in July, attended by HMS dean Jeffrey Flier, of its state-of-the-art mouse behavior lab in the Longwood Medical Area. The new NeuroBehavior Laboratory fills a need for advanced mouse behavioral studies associated with research on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis.
Many neuroscientists at HMS have developed, through genetic modifications, mouse strains that mimic these human diseases. Before the mice can be used broadly in research, however, they must be thoroughly examined and their neurological functions tested. Once a strain is well described and established as an informative model, it can play a vital role in furthering investigation of disease mechanisms, early-stage drug candidates and new therapeutic opportunities. Established mouse models are also valuable to explorations of neurodevelopment and aging.
The NeuroBehavior Laboratory will be available to any academic investigator within the Harvard medical and greater Boston research communities, although priority will go to members of the NeuroDiscovery Center. Interested researchers should contact the laboratory director, Jean-Cosme Dodart, at 617-525-5414 or jc_dodart@hms.harvard.edu.
