The Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) is located at the University of Missouri and is the sole centralized rat repository in the United States. It is supported by the National Institutes of Health (P40 OD011062).

The mission of the Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) is to provide biomedical investigators with the rat models, embryonic stem cells, related reagents, protocols, information, support and services that will facilitate their research.

The RRRC serves as a unique repository by importing, storing and distributing a large number of rat strains/stocks.  It assures that valuable models are preserved and made available to interested investigators, allows researchers to satisfy NIH requirements for resource sharing, relieves individual investigators from the burden of animal distribution and ensures that models are maintained with rigorous genetic quality control and health monitoring to promote experimental rigor and reproducibility.

Recent advances in genome editing technologies are facilitating the ability to perform sophisticated genetic modifications in rats in order to study both normal biological processes and disease states. As a result, the number of rat models and the number of investigators using rat models for biomedical research is increasing and the RRRC, as one of the only centralized repositories in the world serves a critical role for archiving and distributing these new models.

We perform applied research to optimize methods for sperm cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization in the rat and we are active in efforts to refine, generate and characterize new genetically modified rat models needed by the research community.

We serve as consultants to the community and we provide a wide range of fee-for-services in the areas of model generation, model characterization, colony management, cryopreservation and rederivation. The RRRC can facilitate acquisition of rat strains from other international repositories, perform specialized services on a fee-for-service basis, and provide technical training to investigators using rat models.

We welcome the opportunity to support investigators using rats to facilitate their research in any way possible.