Curators’ Distinguished Professor

Director, Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) (www.rrrc.us)
Director, MU Animal Modeling Core (AMC) (https://research.missouri.edu/amc)
Co-Director, Comparative Medicine Program (https://cmp.missouri.edu/)

• M.S. Microbiology – Rutgers University/University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ
• Ph.D, Rutgers University/University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ
• Postdoctoral Training: Molecular Genetics – Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY

Building Address: Room N131, 4011 Discovery Drive, Columbia, MO 65201 (Discovery Ridge Research Park)
Phone Number: 573-882-5504
Email: brydae@missouri.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS

In my laboratory, we are interested in genetic engineering, molecular genetics and animal modeling. We take a comparative approach to studying human disorders by using a variety of animal models of disease, including both rodent and zebrafish models. We are interested in characterizing disease-causing genes/disease variants and their protein products in order to elucidate the molecular pathways in which these genes/proteins participate. This knowledge will allow a better understanding of both normal and abnormal development/function and may ultimately lead to targeted therapeutics. We have generated and characterized a variety of animal models to study diseases including polycystic kidney disease, hereditary deafness, Alzheimer’s Disease, epilepsy, cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally, we are interested in developing and using state-of-the-art genetic engineering methods to generate and characterize new animal models. For example, our lab has unique expertise working with rat embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and we have isolated new rat ESC lines.  We have helped validate a novel rat and zebrafish cell ablation model system and we use evolving technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 to create new genetically engineered animal models.  Genome editing has allowed us to create rodent models that carry rare human genetic alterations in order to validate these putative disease-causing mutations and generate animal models that can facilitate personalized medicine interventions. We are also interested in studying the role of non-genetic factors on animal model phenotypes. Examples of this include exploring the impact of the microbiome on zebrafish to study stress and anxiety, investigating microbiota sex differences in an Alzheimer’s Disease rat model, and evaluating the impact of probiotics and plant-based dietary supplements in a variety of animal model systems.

TEACHING

BSC 4982WI/7982: Human Inherited Diseases (Course Director and sole instructor); LAB AN 9476: Grant and Manuscript Writing for Biomedical Researchers (Course Director, primary instructor); VPB 4787: Historical, Societal & Ethical Topics in Medicine & Biomedical Research (Course Director, sole instructor); LAB AN 9498: Lab Animal Biology (instructor for genetics section).

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (Since 2019)

Bryda EC , Men H, Stone BJ. Rat Embryonic Stem Cell Transgenesis. Methods Mol Biol. 2631:355-370 (2023).

Men H, Davis DJ, Bryda EC . Gene Targeting in Rat Embryonic Stem Cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2631:341-353 (2023).

Davis DJ, Men H, Bryda EC . Electroporation-Mediated CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Rat Zygotes. Methods Mol Biol. 2631:267-276 (2023).

Men H, Amos-Landgraf JM, Bryda EC , Franklin CL. KSOM-R supports both mouse and rat preimplantation embryo development in vitro. Theriogenology. 198:69-74 (2023).

Smith CE, Lorson MA, Ricardez Hernandez SM, Al Rawi Z, Mao J, Marquez J, Villalón E, Keilholz AN, Smith CL, Garro-Kacher MO, Morcos T, Davis DJ, Bryda EC , Nichols NL, Lorson CL. The Ighmbp2D564N mouse model is the first SMARD1 model to demonstrate respiratory defects. Hum Mol Genet. 31(8):1293-1307 (2022).

Hummel D, Becks A, Men H, Bryda EC , Glasco DM, Chandrasekhar A. Celsr1 suppresses Wnt5a-mediated chemoattraction to prevent incorrect rostral migration of facial branchiomotor neurons. Development. 149(22):dev200553 (2022).

Men H, Hankins MA, Bock AS, Beaton BP, Davis DJ, Chesney KL, Bryda EC. Mutational analyses of novel rat models with targeted modifications in inflammatory bowel disease susceptibility genes. Mamm Genome. 32(3):173-182 (2021).

Chesney KL, Men H, Hankins MA, Bryda EC. The Atg16l1 gene: characterization of wild type, knock-in, and knock-out phenotypes in rats. Physiol Genomics. 53(6):269-281 (2021).

Ericsson AC, Busi SB, Davis DJ, Nabli H, Eckhoff DC, Dorfmeyer RA, Turner G, Oswalt PS, Crim MJ, Bryda EC . Molecular and culture-based assessment of the microbiome in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) housing system during set-up and equilibration. Anim Microbiome. 3(1):55 (2021).

Men H, Stone BJ, Bryda EC. Media optimization to promote rat embryonic development to the blastocyst stage in vitro.Theriogenology 151:81-85 (2020).

Stone BJ, Steele KH, Men H, Srodulski SJ, Bryda EC, Fath-Goodin A. A Non-surgical Embryo Transfer Protocol Using the Rat NSET™ Device for Fresh and Cultured Blastocysts in Rats.J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 59:488-495 (2020).

Chesney KL, Chang C, Bryda EC. Using vaginal impedance measurement to stage estrous in rats given luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 59:282-287 (2020).

Bryda EC, Men H, Davis DJ, Bock AS, Shaw ML, Chesney KL, Hankins MA. A novel conditional ZsGreen-expressing transgenic reporter rat strain for validating Cre recombinase expression. Sci Report 9:13330 (2019).

Bryda EC , LaVail MM . Letter to the editor announcing the availability of RCS and transgenic rats with P23H and S334ter rhodopsin mutations with inherited retinal degenerations. Exp Eye Res.178:176 (2019).

Shababi M, Smith CE, Kacher M, Alrawi Z, Villalón E, Davis D, Bryda EC , Lorson CL. Development of a novel severe mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1: FVB-nmd. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 520(2):341-346 (2019).

Liu F, Dai S, Feng D, Peng X, Qin Z, Kearns AC, Huang W, Chen Y, Ergün S, Wang H, Rappaport J, Bryda EC , Chandrasekhar A, Aktas B, Hu H, Chang SL, Gao B, Qin X. Versatile cell ablation tools and their applications to study loss of cell functions. Cell Mol Life Sci.76(23):4725-4743 (2019).