Clark & Enersen partnered with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln to design a new, germ free 10,000-square-foot Gnotobiotic Mouse Facility. The facility can house 50 isolators plus specialized equipment needed to conduct the state-of-the-art research that is taking place inside. 3,500 square feet of the building is devoted to housing germ free mice, allowing the University to take on more collaborative projects with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and other scientists in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.

The facility’s laboratory houses a sealed, oxygen-free chamber to culture individual bacterial species from humans and preserve an entire gut microbiome. Additionally, research workspace, animal holding, procedure space, cage wash area, staff space for the animal husbandry and research specialists, restrooms, locker rooms, support space, conference room, and lab space are included.

Research conducted in the facility will help the University understand how certain foods, compounds, and molecules can alter a person’s microbiome for the better — especially by introducing and establishing bacteria that might reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and possibly even cancers or dementia.