The Nebraska Gnotobiotic Mouse Program (NGMP) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) enables microbiome researchers to ask mechanistic questions about the role of the gut microbiota in health and disease. Derived from the Greek words “gnotos” for known and “bios” for life, gnotobiotic animals are maintained under strictly controlled environmental conditions that allow scientists to know exactly what microbial life is present. Gnotobiotic mice can be raised germ-free and then colonized with either select species or defined communities of microbes. They can also be given complex microbiotas from other mice or humans to study various aspects of host-microbiota interactions.
The NGMP has extensive experience using germ-free and gnotobiotic mice to determine causative roles for the microbiome in disease processes and in mediating effects of dietary interventions. The NGMP also enables studies using human microbiome-associated mice to examine the complex interactions between human microbiomes and dietary components and the potential for dietary modulation of the microbiota to influence disease outcomes. As an associated entity of the Nebraska Food for Health Center, the NGMP also helps investigators establish connections between in vitro results observed in affiliated laboratories with in vivo systems to ultimately inform clinical trials in humans. We aim to perform high-quality research studies in a controlled and reproducible environment that researchers can trust.