Worm Breeder's Gazette 16(2): 1

These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.

Trans-NIH Coordinating Committee for Non-Mammalian Models

J.L. Carrington

National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health (NIH), One Rockledge Center, Bethesda, MD 20892

In February, 1999, the NIH organized and held a Nonmammalian Models Workshop on the NIH campus. At the Workshop, researchers using a variety of non-mammalian models for biomedical research were invited to meet, to present information on the uses and status of development of these various models, and to help determine the resource needs for most effective use of these models. The report from that meeting can be found http://www.nih.gov/science/models/reports/index.html.

To coordinate the NIH response to the workshop, the NIH has established the Trans-NIH Coordinating Committee for Non-Mammalian Models (CCNMM). In addition to representatives from the Institutes and Centers of the NIH, the CCNMM includes representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation so that resource needs and interests can be coordinated across agencies. The CCNMM was formed to plan and coordinate the development of genomic resources for non-mammalian model organisms using the recommendations from the workshop as a starting point. Several NIH Institutes and Centers have accepted responsibility for coordinating resources and communicating with the community of investigators with respect to individual model organisms. In addition, the committee has posted information on non-mammalian models under a general Model Organisms for Biomedical Research Web site that can be accessed at http://www.nih.gov/science/models/. This site contains information on committee activities, the lead NIH Institutes and Centers for the various organisms, contact information for the appropriate individuals at those Institutes and Centers, and information on resources available or being developed for working with these models.

Jill Carrington represents the National Center for Research Resources on the CCNMM, and is the appropriate contact person for inquiries regarding resources for work with C. elegans. Inquiries regarding prospective applications or available resources are welcome. In addition, input on these resources and on needs for further resources is welcome. Inquiries and input will be coordinated through an established subcommittee on C. elegans and through the entire CCNMM.