JAX Center for Precision Genetics

The JCPG prioritizes accessibility to these critical models in the otherwise resource-limited rare disease therapeutic research field. In collaboration with the Rare Disease Translational Center’s preclinical pipeline, the models incorporated into the program are used to test therapeutics, promoting their ultimate translation to the clinic.

Partner with the JCPG

The JCPG works to develop and characterize new mouse models of rare disease to advance therapeutic research. Partners can engage with the JCPG at any stage of the model development and therapeutic testing process. The JCPG is an accessible and scalable pipeline that integrates capabilities and services to support a broad array of partners including rare disease families, clinicians, researchers, and therapeutic developers. It’s never too soon to start a conversation with our team!

Rare Request Program

Developing precision treatments for rare disease requires a holistic approach that combines mouse model expertise with clinical and scientific partners with passion to advance cures. The JCPG gathers and evaluates nominations from the rare disease community and offers a streamlined process to:

• Generate patient-specific mouse models to validate the role of the specific variant in disease, to establish the strain as a faithful model of disease, and to serve as a platform for future preclinical testing needs.
• Collaborate with community partners (clinicians and researchers) to validate the newly generated mouse strain for suitability as a high quality, precise surrogate for the target disease using extensive genetic and phenotypic characterization. 
• Distribute our mouse models through JAX’s mouse repository to the global research community. See our current JCPG models available here.
• Test therapeutic responses to promising treatments using newly created as well as established models of human disease with support and active collaboration with community partners and industry.

About the team

The JAX Center for Precision Genetics (JCPG) brings together a multi-disciplinary team of over 60 members of the JAX faculty and research staff — including geneticists and genetics technology experts, quantitative and computational biologists, clinical experts in specific disease areas, patient organizations, and world leaders in the development of precision animal models of disease.

The JCPG (U54 OD030187) is led by Cathleen Lutz, Ph.D. and Stephen Murray. Ph.D. and is funded by the NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs through the Office of the Director. Efforts at JAX are complemented by funded centers at Baylor College of Medicine and University of Alabama Birmingham.