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Melissa A. Larson, PhD

Melissa Larson portrait
Research Assistant Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology

Technical Director, Transgenic and Gene-Targeting Institutional Facility

mlarson@kumc.edu

Professional Background

Dr. Melissa Larson is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and she serves as the Technical Director for the Transgenic and Gene-Targeting Institutional Facility. The TGIF is a core research support facility that generates novel gene-modified mouse and cell models for investigators at KUMC, the state of Kansas and the Kansas City metro.

Dr. Larson received her B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She received her M.S. in Reproductive Physiology from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, where she was involved in generating pigs transgenic for human Protein C. From Blacksburg, she moved on to pursue a PhD in Reproductive Physiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her dissertation work focused on studying protein expression by pre-implantation bovine embryos, and the expression of transgenes in mouse, pig and cow embryos. While a graduate student, Dr. Larson also worked as the Research Specialist in the Transgenic Animal Core Facility at Missouri, making transgenic mice.

After moving to Kansas City, Dr. Larson has been employed in the field of transgenics for the past 25+ years. She first worked at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research for three years as the Manager of the Reproductive Biology Group. She moved to the University of Missouri-Kansas City for two years, where she both established a Transgenic Facility and served as the Director of the Laboratory Animal Centers. Dr. Larson then assumed the role of Technical Director in the TGIF at KUMC and has been employed here since 2006.

Education and Training
  • BS, Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
  • MS, Reproductive Physiology, Virginia Tech Univeristy, Blacksburg, Virginia
  • PhD, Reproductive Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
Professional Affiliations
  • International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc., Education Committee, Chair, 2023 - Present
  • International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc., ISTT, Treasurer, 2023 - Present
  • International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc., Board of Directors, Member, 2022 - 2025
  • International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc., Treasurer, 2020 - 2023
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, IACUC Programmatic Sub-Committee, Member, 2012 - 2016
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Member, 2011 - Present
  • International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc., Representative to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, 2011 - 2021

Research

Overview

Dr. Larson's primary role is as a service provider, which necessitates remaining current on the latest technologies and protocols in the field of transgenics. The TGIF has successfully implemented a complete workflow utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology to gene edit mouse and cell culture models. In addition to routine protocols in assisted reproductive technologies like cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization, Dr. Larson has conducted experiments for which no protocol exists to meet the needs of requesting investigators.

Dr. Larson serves on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and has done so since 2011. She has been a member of the International Society for Transgenic Technologies, Inc. since 2008, and she currently serves as the Treasurer for the Society. She recently compiled and edited a volume for Springer in the Methods in Molecular Biology series called Transgenic Mouse, published in 2020.

Selected Publications