Key Dates

Related Announcements

None

Issued by

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Purpose

This Notice informs the research community that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) will sunset the BALB/cBy and CB6F1 mouse colonies. As a result, entries into the current BALB/cBy and CB6F1 colonies will terminate in the fall of 2026, with older mice available until the colonies are depleted (estimated to be in the fall of 2028).

Background

NIA has supported colonies of aged BALB/cBy and BALB/cBy x C57BL/6J F1 (CB6F1) mice for use by NIA grant recipients for nearly 20 years. Because of the limited use of these strains and the increasing demand for aged C57BL/6J mice, NIA has decided to sunset the BALB/cBy and CB6F1 colonies in order to increase the number of C57BL/6J mice. NIA's continued provision of only C57BL/6J mice is a reflection of investigator demand and should not be interpreted as implying that the C57BL/6J strain is the optimal model for all areas of aging research.

Special Provisions for NIA Grant Recipients

NIA understands that this change may pose a challenge for some investigators. NIA may be able to make special provisions for NIA grant recipients with grants that include specific aims directly focused on BALB/cBy or CB6F1 mice. Investigators with newly funded awards or existing NIA grants whose current grant cycle extends beyond the fall of 2028, and that have specific aims requiring BALB/cBy or CB6F1 mice should contact [email protected].

Resources

Further updates will be provided in later notices and on the NIA aged rodent colony handbook website, http://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/aged-rodent-colonies-handbook.

To determine the best strain for your research questions, please visit the mouse models website of vendors such as https://www.jax.org/jax-mice-and-services/find-mice/most-popular-jax-mice-strains.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:
[email protected]