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MMPC here means the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers, a consortium funded by the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). It offers fee-for-service metabolic, physiologic and behavioral tests on live mice to academic biomedical researchers. (The abbreviation is also used for unrelated organizations; this page covers only the NIDDK consortium.)
General information about a research resource. Not advice on any experiment, animal protocol or purchase.
Short answer
The MMPC is an NIDDK-funded network of university phenotyping centers (UC Davis, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University and Yale University) that runs standardized tests on live mice for diabetes, obesity and their complications. Researchers register for an account on mmpc.org, browse the test catalog, and order tests as a fee-for-service client. Source: mmpc.org “About”, read 2026-11-08.
Definition and scope
The MMPC website describes the program as an NIDDK-funded consortium providing experimental testing services for diabetes, obesity and related complications in mice. A 2024 paper in Mammalian Genome (Laughlin et al., doi 10.1007/s00335-024-10067-y) describes the current structure, called MMPC-Live, which NIDDK established in 2023 as the successor to the earlier MMPC program. According to that paper the earlier program ran from 2001 to 2021. MMPC-Live consists of the four centers named above plus a Coordinating Unit at Augusta University that runs mmpc.org, the test catalog, the results database and outreach.
The paper characterizes the service as reduced-cost consultation and metabolic, physiologic and behavioral phenotyping tests on live mice. Its focus on live-animal testing is the main scope boundary: the consortium is a testing service, not a mouse repository or a general data archive.
How a laboratory uses the MMPC in practice
Drawing only on the MMPC “About” page and the 2024 paper:
- Catalog first. The test catalog on mmpc.org can be browsed without logging in. Ordering requires a client account, requested through the site (“Request Account”).
- Consultation. The program offers consultation on experimental design, and the website lists protocols, husbandry and quarantine information, and tissue and sample resources.
- Who can use it. The paper describes fee-for-service access for US academic biomedical researchers, with NIH funds partially subsidizing the cost. The paper reports roughly 40 to 80 users per center per year.
- Early-career support. The VIBRANT program, described in the paper, supports early-career and underrepresented researchers with subsidized testing, awards and design consultation.
- Data. The paper states that data belong to the submitting investigator and are returned through a password-protected database, becoming public after an embargo or publication.
- Analysis tools. The website lists training and analysis tools, including an energy expenditure analysis resource and the CalR calorimetry app.
Test categories offered
The 2024 paper groups MMPC-Live tests into these categories:
- Energy balance and body composition
- Insulin action and secretion
- Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism
- Cardiovascular and renal function
- Food intake and behavior
- Microbiome and xenometabolism
- Metabolic pathway kinetics
Methods the paper names include glucose-insulin clamps, indirect calorimetry, automated blood sampling, behavioral tests, fiber photometry and optogenetics, and in vivo imaging. The full, current test list is in the mmpc.org catalog, which is the authoritative source for what each center offers.
Where it matters for labs and research administration
A phenotyping core changes how a project is organized, not just where an assay is run. The points below restate the sourced facts above as questions a project team can ask; they are an editorial checklist, not MMPC policy.
- Eligibility: Is the investigator an academic biomedical researcher in the United States, the group the paper describes as served?
- Test fit: Which catalog test category matches the question, and does the catalog list the method?
- Data ownership and timing: The paper says data belong to the submitting investigator and become public after an embargo or publication. Teams can compare this with their own data ownership and research data sharing commitments.
- Animal oversight: Mouse work is overseen locally by an IACUC. Which institution’s committee governs work done at an external center is a question for the institutions involved and is not answered by the sources read here.
- Early-career route: Early-career or underrepresented investigators can look at the VIBRANT program.
For a comparable mouse-phenotyping resource with a different model, see IMPC: the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. For examples of individual behavioral tests and their animal-welfare considerations, see Open Field Test in Mice.
Common misunderstandings
- “MMPC is a mouse repository.” The paper describes live-mouse testing services, not strain distribution.
- “It is free.” The paper describes fee-for-service access, partially subsidized by NIH funds.
- “It is the same as the IMPC.” They are separate programs. The MMPC is NIDDK-funded and service-oriented for diabetes, obesity and related complications; the IMPC is covered on its own page.
- “The program started in 2023.” MMPC-Live was established in 2023 as a successor; the earlier MMPC program ran from 2001 to 2021 per the 2024 paper.
FAQ
What does MMPC stand for?
Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers, an NIDDK-funded consortium (mmpc.org, read 2026-11-08).
Which institutions host the centers?
UC Davis, the University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University and Yale University, with a Coordinating Unit at Augusta University (mmpc.org; Laughlin et al. 2024).
Can I see the tests without an account?
Yes, the test catalog can be browsed without logging in; ordering needs a client account (mmpc.org, read 2026-11-08).
Who owns the data?
According to Laughlin et al. 2024, the submitting investigator owns the data, which are returned via a password-protected database and made public after an embargo or publication.
Sources
- Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers, “About”: mmpc.org/shared/about.aspx, read 2026-11-08.
- Laughlin MR et al. (2024), Mammalian Genome, doi 10.1007/s00335-024-10067-y: PMC11522164, read 2026-11-08.
