National Centers for Metabolic Phenotyping in Live Models of Obesity and Diabetes (MPMOD)

May 2021 Council

Lead Division/Office

DEM

Point(s) of Contact

Executive Summary

The National Centers for Metabolic Phenotyping in Live Models of Obesity and Diabetes (MPMOD) will provide complex, technically difficult metabolic, physiologic and behavioral phenotyping and consulting services to characterize living mouse models on a fair fee-for-service basis to any US researcher, to study the heterogeneity, pathogenesis, and complications of diabetes and obesity. Centers will therefore be outwardly oriented rather than serving local clients. To help diversify the research workforce, MPMOD will host a funding program to support projects for researchers from minority backgrounds that use mice to study obesity and diabetes. It will also provide, on a competitive basis, access to phenotyping services on live mouse models for reduced or waived fees, and training in sophisticated technologies. These are intended to improve the ability for underrepresented scientists to successfully compete for NIH research funding. Despite its enormous value for these collaborative and outreach activities, a Data and Coordinating Center (DCC) requires significant resources. To best serve NIDDK, the services provided by a DCC can also be leveraged to enhance the research objectives of the Diabetes Research Centers (DRC) and the Nutrition and Obesity Research Centers (NORC). In this way, the DCC can provide logistics and administration support for those groups as desired, so they can work better cooperatively and serve more of the NIDDK research community.