Model Animal Research Center (MARC), Nanjing University, China (Dr. Xiang Gao) and RIKEN BioResource Center (BRC), Japan (Director: Dr. Yuichi Obata) co-organized a short educational program focusing on mouse genetics and related experimental technologies for young scientists. RIKEN BRC hosted the 1st International Short Summer Course of the Mouse from Aug 27 to Aug 29, 2012 in Tsukuba, Japan, and thereafter, MARC and RIKEN BRC hosted the mouse course in turn every year. This summer, MARC hosted the 4th program from July 27 to July 29, 2015 in Nanjing, China.

Place: Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University
Periods: from July 27 to 29, 2015
Number of participants: 83 from China and 3 from Japan, and 1 from India.
Number of professors: 9 from China and 10 from Japan (RIKEN BRC, Kyoto University, Kumamoto University) including:

<China>

Peking University:
Prof. Heping Cheng
Beijing Fuwai Hospital:
Prof. Weinian Shou
Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
Prof. Bin Zhou
Fudan University
Prof. Xiaohui Wu
Soochow University
Dr. Ying Xu
Model Animal Research Center (MARC), Nanjing University:
Drs. Xiang Gao, Jing Zhao, Zhongzhou Yang, and Minsheng Zhu

<Japan>

RIKEN BRC:
Drs. Yuichi Obata, Kuniya Abe, Atsushi Yoshiki, Atsuo Ogura, Shigeharu Wakana, Yoichi Gondo, Hiroshi Masuya, and Shinya Ayabe
Kyoto University:
Dr. Takehito Kaneko
Kumamoto University:
Dr. Toru Takeo

The program was consisted of the following 5 sessions with 19 lectures in the days 1 and 2.
*program

1. Mouse History, Genetics and Genome Manipulation
2. Mouse Resources for Biomedical Research
3. Reproductive Technologies in Rodent
4. Cardiac Biology and Medicine
5. Disease Models and Phenotyping

In the Open Discussion session, there were many active questions and answers as well as informative discussion between participants and lecturers.

Three experimental courses of the following content with hands-on training were offered on July 29.

1. The modified SHIRPA technical training course (Number of participants:15)
2. The practical training for rat 2-cell stage embryo and mouse sperm freezing and warming (Number of participants:18)
3. The training course for micro-injection (Number of participants:15)
4. The training course for pathological sectioning (Number of participants:19)
5. The training course for facility management (Number of participants:23)

In the modified SHIRPA technical training, there were 15 participants. Dr. Wakana (RIKEN BRC), Dr. Masuya (RIKEN BRC), Ms. Kozawa (RIKEN BRC), gave lectures to the participants.

In the practical training for rat 2-cell stage embryo and mouse sperm freezing and warming, there were 18 participants. Drs. Kaneko (Kyoto University), Takeo (Kumamoto University), and Ayabe (RIKEN BRC), gave lectures to the participants.

The 5th International Mouse Workshop will be held with a theme of "Imaging disease models" place from July 25 (Mon) to 27 (Wed), 2016 at RIKEN BRC in Tsukuba.

Group Photo
Dr. Gao, Nanjing University MARC and Dr. Obata, Director of RIKEN BRC awarding certificate to a participant

*More photos here.