Welcome
ABOUT: The Cornell Vole Core has been established to assist researchers in obtaining outbred vole adults, breeding pairs, and pups. These animals were originally wild-caught and quarantined before breeding. The colony is overseen by a veterinary team that ensures their health and well-being before and during breeding for the core. The animals are monitored for health and biosecurity and are followed genetically to maintain outbred status. New wild-caught animals are added to the colony when necessary to maintain outbred status.
For additional information, availability, and rates, please contact us by emailing: volecore@cornell.edu
MISSION: to facilitate research endeavors utilizing the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), the Cornell Vole Core housed within the Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE), overseeing the AAALAC-accredited animal care and use the program at Cornell University, maintains and distributes outbred prairie voles to researchers worldwide.
The main functions of the Cornell Vole Core are:
- Maintain and provide genetically outbred, specific pathogen-free prairie voles to investigators worldwide.
- Support the expansion of the application of this important animal research model.
Why voles are important research models: Prairie voles, and other Microtus species, are increasingly becoming established models for genetic and neurobiological research, primarily in social behavior, bonding, and parental care.
Future Directions:
- Provide investigators with blood, tissue, and other biological material from prairie voles
- Maintain and provide transgenic prairie voles created at other institutions to the vole research community
- Create transgenic prairie voles in the Cornell University Transgenic Core Facility on a project-specific basis
- Cryopreservation services
- Maintain meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in a similar manner to the prairie vole breeding core