Please review the following policies prior to beginning a project with VGER:
Acknowledgements
Use of the Vanderbilt Genome Editing Resource (VGER) should be acknowledged in all publications. Please cite funding from the Cancer Center Support Grant (CA68485) unless prohibited by editorial policy.
VGER Authorship Considerations
We encourage listing specific VGER staff as co-authors on publications when they have made significant contributions to the design or execution of a project.
The Research Resource Identifier (RRID) for VGER is SCR_018826.
Vanderbilt Investigators
iLab is used for all billing. A valid billing center must be present in the system. Billing for services and supplies occurs monthly. Cryopreservation storage fees are billed annually in March/April.
External Investigators
External investigators are encouraged to contact VGER directly before submitting a service request. External investigators will be provided with a statement of work, which must be approved before services can begin. Payment must be received before genome modified mice or other resources will be shipped.
Prepayments
Prepayments in advance of the actual use of this Shared Resource are not allowed. VU Cores Policies, Forms, & Federal Regulation | Finance | Vanderbilt
Scholarships/Vouchers
Scholarships/vouchers assigned to Vanderbilt investigators within the iLab system will be accepted only at the time of billing. A valid center number in the iLab system must be provided with a scholarship or VICTR award. It is the responsibility of the PI to determine when a scholarship or VICTR award might be used. VGER is not responsible for work that is not completed by the voucher's expiration date. In this situation, the center number provided by the investigator will be charged. VGER is not obligated to rearrange its schedule to accommodate voucher deadlines. VGER cannot guarantee work will be completed, and scholarships or VICTR funds will be billed before the voucher's expiration date.
Scholarships/vouchers cannot be used to pay for pass-through expenses such as custom reagents, mice, or enzymes.
Retroactive billing
Retroactive changes in the iLab system will include a fee to cover the time involved.
Email communications
All substantive email correspondence will occur between VGER and the PI for whom the service is being performed. Postdoctoral fellows, students, and staff, while they may be highly involved in the project, are not permitted to make key decisions on behalf of the PI.
Advisory meetings
Advisory meetings require the participation of the PI for whom the service is provided.
Letters of support
Requests by PIs for letters of support should be directed to Jennifer Skelton, VGER manager. The minimal information required is the name of the PI, grant title, grant agency, and anticipated services.
Reporting follow-up results
Interim results of the analysis of mice obtained from this resource must be reported back to resource personnel within one month of receiving genotyping samples. Failure to provide this information promptly may result in the inadvertent loss of genome modified founder animals or additional mouse cage charges.
Post-project information requests
VGER may occasionally contact users for follow-up information such as publications.
Priorities
Use of this resource is on a first-come, first-served basis. In instances where demand exceeds our available capacity, priority is given to VICC members. Projects are not initiated until all necessary forms have been received and approved by the directors of this resource.
IACUC Approval
The investigator must provide a current approved protocol number for housing of mice by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Charges incurred for housing of mice is the responsibility of the PI. The PI is also responsible for having an approved IACUC protocol for any terminal procedures such as the harvesting of embryos. VGER cannot initiate any services without a valid animal protocol number.
How to link a CORE protocol to a procedure:
Confidentiality
VGER will perform all experiments in a confidential manner. The general nature of the construct may be described in grant applications and other reports that describe the overall progress of this resource.
Documentation
The PI is responsible for approving all experimental design proposals. A project report will be provided to the PI upon completion of a project. The PI will be responsible for all subsequent maintenance of the genome modified materials or organisms unless agreed to otherwise by VGER and the PI.
VGER staff are highly experienced. However, outcomes can be affected by many factors, some of which are outside our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee that any given project will work. For instance, mice are very sensitive to their physical environment, with noise and vibration being known to affect reproductive success and pup survival. Control of these variables lies with the Department of Animal Care (DAC) and is not the responsibility of VGER.
Technical or operational failures
The Vanderbilt Genome Editing Resource will repeat specific experiments as necessary to achieve the deliverables that have been specified for each service type. However, any additional service beyond that specified for each service type must be approved by the VGER Director.
Adding new mutations to a pre-existing line
VGER is willing to utilize an established mouse line that contains preexisting mutations but doing so adds complexity and cost. Please discuss with the VGER manager.
Authentication of key biological
The responsibility for authenticating the mice generated by VGER lies with users.
The NIH has policies that promote the sharing and dissemination of research resources. To comply with these policies, users of VGER are encouraged to freely distribute all new mutant alleles to investigators who propose using them for non-commercial research.