The long term goal of this application is to exploit the collective experience of a critical mass of investigators at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University to initiate, develop and characterize transgenic and knockout "germ line" mouse models of prostate cancer as a component of the National Cancer Institute Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium. Building on our expertise and proven track record in the successful application of transgenic mouse models and genetic perturbation analysis to the field of prostate cancer research, the joint Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University groups (BCM-TAMU) propose to accomplish the following tasks:

Task 1. continue to develop, characterize, validate and disseminate the spontaneous autochthonous TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) mouse model of prostate cancer;
Task 2. develop, characterize, validate and disseminate novel spontaneous autochthonous transgenic and knock-out mouse models of prostate cancer;
Task 3. develop, characterize, validate and disseminate novel technologies pertaining to the generation of appropriate transgenic and knock-out models for prostate cancer research;
Task 4. develop, characterize, validate and disseminate novel information technologies pertaining to the efficient generation, husbandry, maintenance and analysis of transgenic and knock-out models and the management of associated data sets; and
Task 5. otherwise contribute to the collective efforts and mission of the MMHC and the cancer research community at large through the free and timely exchange of ideas, skills, data and research materials.

It is anticipated that the collective experience and resources of the BCM-TAMU group will, through participation in The Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium, greatly facilitate and compliment the stategic aims of this National Cancer Institute initiative.