Assessing olfactory and taste functions in mouse behavioral phenotyping

While the IMPC has produced a few knockout alleles for genes encoding taste and olfactory receptors, specific phenotyping tests to assess sensorineural deficiencies in these pathways are currently not part of the IMPC pipeline. Fortunately, emerging technologies now enable identification and analysis of the pathophysiological consequences of genetic disruptions in these genes in mice. This workshop will explore opportunities to use IMPC mutant mice to investigate genetic mechanisms of anosmia and dysgeusia and the broader implication on neurodegenerative disease and cognitive decline in humans. The speakers are Drs. Silvia Mandillo (Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Monterotondo [Rome], Italy), Nixon Abraham (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India) and Chang-Hoon Kim (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea), and they will be presenting on their research work.