Services and Fees

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Targeting

• Pronuclear injection and electroporation are currently used to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 targeting components into pronuclear stage embryos. The same method can be used to deliver components of other gene-editing endonuclease systems (ZFNs, TALENs).  Please click on the title of this section to see service requirements and guarantees.  Due to patent regulations, CRISPR services can only be provided to MD Anderson investigators.
• Fee for knock-out electroporation:  $1,523 for MD Anderson investigators
• Fee for knock-in/hdr electroporation (oligo < 500bp) or injections (ss or dsDNA dsDNA > 500 bp):  $2,310 for MD Anderson investigators
  
• Additional injection or electroporation days (upon request):  $800/day; $1248 for other UT investigators

Gene Targeting via Electroporation [Classical method in mouse embryonic stem cells] 

• Electroporation includes picking of all colonies surviving selection up to 288 clones (3 x 96-well plates) and expansion of up to three clones. Germline transmission is not guaranteed
• Fee: $5,250/construct for MD Anderson investigators; $8,200/construct for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $13,284/construct for other outside investigators

Request for Additional 96-well Plates

• Additional 96-well plates picked
• Fee: $290/plate for MD Anderson investigators; $685/plate for external investigators

Request for Additional Colonies from 96-well Plates

• ES cell expansion of additional colonies from 96-well plates
• Fee: $290/clone for MD Anderson investigators; $685/clone for external investigators

ES Cell Expansion and Cytogenetic Analysis

• Prior to injection of cells generated by the Knockout Consortium, they must be expanded and checked cytogenetically.
• Fee: $1,103/clone for MD Anderson investigators;  $1,722/clone for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $2,790/clone for other outside investigators

Blastocyst Injections and Morula Aggregations

• Blastocyst injections and morula aggregations include injection of 50 blastocysts or aggregation of up to 50 morulae for all cell lines. For cell lines produced by the GEMF, we will substitute an additional clone (if available) for a clone that does not produce chimeras
• Fee: $1,785/clone for MD Anderson investigators; $2,785/clone for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $4,511/clone for other outside investigators

Generation of ES Cells from Blastocysts

• ES cell generation will include the isolation of the inner cell mass and subsequent growth ES cells from blastocysts obtained from five to 10 superovulated females
• Fee: $5,250 for MD Anderson investigators; $8,200 for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $13,284/construct for other outside investigators

Standard Pronuclear Injections

• Pronuclear injections include a guarantee of three founders for standard (0.5 - 20 kb) constructs injected into C57BL/6, FVB and F1 hybrid strains with proof of single copy detection prior to injection. For BAC transgenics, we only guarantee the injection of 200 embryos; there is no founder guarantee for BAC transgenics
• Fee: $2,363/construct for MD Anderson investigators; $3,700/construct for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $6,000/construct for other outside investigators
• Additional fees will be charged for acquisition of strains not maintained in-house.

Embryo Cryopreservation

• Embryo Cryopreservation: We will cryopreserve 2-cell embryos for heterozygous males mated to wild type females (for those strains amenable to this procedure) or 2-cell embryos for homozygous males mated to wild type or homozygous females. A project will be considered complete when 200 recoverable embryos are frozen for heterozygous x wild type lines and 100 recoverable embryos are frozen for homozygous lines. [A straw of 8-10 embryos is thawed for each freezing day and the % recovery is used to determine the total number of remaining recoverable embryos for that day]. We generally average 15 good morulae from a C57BL/6 or hybrid, non-transgenic, superovulated female that is mated to a fertile male. Due to increased mouse costs, investigators will be expected to purchase females for projects where the background strain is not maintained in-house.
• Fee: $1,155/line/session for MD Anderson investigators; $1,802/line/session for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $2,919/line/session for other outside investigators

Sperm Cryopreservation

• Sperm Cryopreservation: We will freeze a minimum of ten and a maximum of 25 straws of sperm for each line. You will need to supply two to four males that have undergone previous mating, and that are between 3 and 8 months of age. All frozen sperm is tested by IVF to assure competency after thaw [competency = a fertilization rate of greater than, or equal to 20%].
• Fee: $1,155/line/session for MD Anderson investigators; $1,802/line/session for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $2,919/line/session for other outside investigators

IVF-Cryopreservation

• IVF-Cryopreservation: We will cryopreserve two-cell embryos from IVF done with sperm from heterozygous or homozygous males. A project will be considered complete when 200 recoverable embryos are frozen for heterozygous x wild type lines and 100 recoverable embryos are frozen for homozygous lines.  [A straw of 8-10 embryos is thawed for each freezing day and the % recovery is used to determine the total number of remaining recoverable embryos for that day]. Due to increased mouse costs, investigators will be expected to purchase females for projects where the background strain is not maintained in-house. 
• Fee: $1,785/line/session for MD Anderson investigators; $2,785/line/session for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $4,511/line/session for other outside investigators

Rederivation (Standard Procedure)

• Rederivation: We will mate homozygotes to obtain embryos for homozygous lines, or mate homozygous or heterozygous males to wild type females for lines that may be rederived as heterozygotes. All pups produced will be transferred to the investigator for genotyping. Please note: it is in the investigator's best interest to genotype any animals imported for this procedure prior to the rederivation procedure. It is not at all unusual for the animals received to be incorrect. Due to variability of animals obtained, we cannot guarantee success.
• Fee: $1,208/line/session for MD Anderson investigators; $1,885/line/session for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $3,055/line/session for other outside investigators

Embryo Implantation

• Embryo Implantation: We will implant embryos (frozen or fresh) into pseudopregnant females for gestation.  Animals resulting will be transferred to the investigator for genotyping and breeding.
• Fee:  $709 for MD Anderson investigators; $1,107 for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $1,795 for other outside investigators

In Vitro Fertilization

• In Vitro Fertilization: We will use fresh or previously frozen sperm to fertilize oocytes obtained from up to 10 superovulated females. Embryos surviving to the two-cell stage will be implanted into pseudopregnant females for gestation or frozen for later implant. All surviving pups will be transferred to the contracting investigator. Due to increased mouse costs, investigators will be expected to purchase females for projects where the background strain is not maintained in-house
• Fee: $1,733 for MD Anderson investigators; $2,705 for MD Anderson-affiliated investigators; $4,385 for other outside investigators

Mouse Resource Facility

Services and Fees

Mouse Resource Facility services and fees are as follows:

• Mice: $39/mouse (MD Anderson investigators only)
• Excess stock animals (wild type): $17/mouse (MD Anderson investigators only)
• Straw of frozen embryos: $50/straw for MD Anderson investigators; $100/straw for external investigators
• Hormones (PMS and HCG): $25/set for MD Anderson investigators; $50/set for external investigators
• Embryo flushing: $35 for MD Anderson investigators; $70 for external investigators
• Dry shipper rental and shipping assistance: $30
• M15 media: $30/50 ml for MD Anderson investigators; $60/50 ml for external investigators

Additional Services

• Additional charges for fees charged to the GEMF by VetMed (for animals maintained in the GEMF past weaning, technical fees for superovulation and mating procedures, packaging and shipping fees or fees for health certificates) will be allocated to the appropriate PI as necessary
• Fee: at cost