The Laboratory Animal Facility (LAF) is located in an exclusive, specially designed building having over 15,000 sq. ft. area spread over two floors. The first floor houses the rooms for rodents, which are maintained under controlled conditions for temperature, humidity, air pressure and dark & light cycles. The ground floor houses the service areas (washing, autoclaving and animal feed) as also various laboratories (biochemistry, microbiology, genetic monitoring and histology) and quarantine room.
The Laboratory Animal Facility maintains 19 different strains of mice - including transgenic, knock out, Nude and SCID; 1 strain of rats; 2 strains of hamsters; and the New Zealand White rabbit strain. Majority of the rodent strains are bred under strictly inbred conditions. The main activity of the Laboratory Animal Facility is to breed, maintain and supply quality rodents to in-house researchers, as per the sanction from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC). The Laboratory Animal Facility is registered with the ‘Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals’ (CPCSEA) for breeding and conducting experiment on small laboratory animals vide registration no. 65/1999/CPCSEA dtd. March 11, 1999. The registration is also renewed by the CPCSEA till 2012.
All activities of the Laboratory Animal Facility are carried out as per standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Laboratory Animal Facility maintains the records of day to day activities as well as breeding, maintenance and experimentation records of the animals as per the statutory requirement of CPCSEA and keeping in mind the future requirement of the NABL accreditation.
QUALITY CONTROL (QC)
A stringent program for clinico-pathology, microbiology, genetic monitoring of the laboratory rodents and animal feed ensures quality control of the animals. Reporting of the QC tests is done in standard formats and QC reports are maintained in the Laboratory Animal Facility.
I. Clinico-Pathology
For clinico-pathology surveillance, skin/ hair are checked for presence of ecto-parasites. Faecal samples are randomly checked for the presence of endo-parasites by sedimentation method. In addition to sedimentation method, specifically for checking of pinworms infestation, we undertake tape test method on randomly selected mice in all modules of the mice. The weekly sampling schedule is devised in such a way that every five-weeks all the strains are covered under the clinico-pathology. The sedimentation and tape tests schedules are maintained a week apart.
II. Routine/ Conventional Microbiology
Microbiological examination of animal room air, animal feed, water, bedding material, stool samples and animal organs from moribund animals is also carried out whenever required. The weekly sampling schedule is devised in such a way that every five-weeks all the strains are covered under the conventional microbiology testing.
III. ELISA based Microbiology
Once in every six months i.e. in February and August every year, randomly selected serum samples are screened for rodent pathogens such as Mycoplasma pulmonis, Polyoma, Hantaan and MVM using ELISA-based ready to use kits. In order to include few new rodent pathogens every year, the list of rodent pathogens tested by ELISA methods changes every year.
IV. PCR based Microbiology
Once in every six months, i.e. in June and December every year, DNA/ RNA samples from randomly selected appropriate tissue samples are screened for rodent pathogens namely MHV, Helicobacter spp., CAR, Mycoplasma pulmonis, LDV and Sendai using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. PCR methods for Parvovirus H-1, KRV, Klebsiella oxytoca, Helicobacter hepaticus, Helicobacter bilis and Murine norovirus are under standardization.
V. Conventional Genetic Monitoring
Under the genetic monitoring program, skin grafting and study of biochemical markers for Car-2, Hbb, Es-2, Es-3, Akp-1, Gpd-1, Gpi-1, Idh-1, Mod-1, Mup-1, and Trf markers are routinely undertaken using cellulose acetate electrophoresis method. Skin grafting tests are conducted in April and October every year, whereas biochemical markers from randomly selected tissue samples are checked in February and August every year.
VI. PCR based Genetic Monitoring
We also undertake PCR based technique using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers as rs3022801, rs3023070, and rs13482616 as well as Simple Sequence Length Polymorphism (SSLP) markers as D1Mit21 and D19Mit41 for confirmation of the genetic purity of the mice strains. SNP markers of rs3023619, 3022949 and rs3023192; and SSLP markers of D3Mit54, D4Mit53, D7Mit77, D15Mit8 and D18Mit40 are under standardization. SNP and SSLP markers from randomly selected DNA samples are checked in May and November every year.
VII. T- and B-cell Profile of Nude and SCID Mice
The purity of Nude/ SCID mice breeder as well as experimental animals is routinely checked on the basis of their T- and B- cell profiles using CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD19 markers by flow cytometry method. Besides, in order to ascertain the immuno-compromised nature of these animals, Laboratory Animal Facility also randomly checks the tumor acceptance in these animals.
VIII. Animal Nutrition
All the species of animals are provided with balanced animal feed pellets that are prepared in-house as per the nutritional requirement of these species. The nutritional quality of the animal feed is routinely checked by sending the samples to outside testing laboratories.
Quality Control Services
Considering our expertise available in the field of quality control of laboratory animals, ACTREC can provide quality control services of routinely conducted biochemical markers as well as ELISA tests for the available rodent pathogens to other Animal Facilities in the country.
EMBRYO CRYO-PRESERVATION PROGRAM
The LAF has also initiated a program for cryo-preservation of rodent embryos of the available strains of animals in ACTREC. As a part of the standardization process, embryos from few strains have already been cryo-preserved and revived back to check the efficiency of the cryo-preserved embryos to develop into live animals. The Laboratory Animal Facility aims to cryo-preserve embryos of all available strains for future use.
ICLAS RECOGNITION
Since 2004 the Laboratory Animal Facility of ACTREC is an ‘Associate Member’ of the 'International Council for Laboratory Animal Science' (ICLAS) (http://www.iclas.org/Documents.htm). Based on efforts of ACTREC in education and training in the field of Laboratory Animal Science, recently ICLAS has recognized ACTREC Animal Facility as one of the centers in “Training and Education”. This link can be viewed on ICLAS website at http://www.iclas.org/Education.htm.
ORGANISATION OF WORKSHOPS
The Laboratory Animal Facility regularly organizes workshops with national and international faculty and participants to keep abreast of the latest developments, evolve regulations and disseminate the knowledge and skills to the laboratory animal professionals within the country. Since 2005, the Laboratory Animal Facility has organized the following workshops in ACTREC.
- 'CPCSEA Nominees Workshop (West zone)', ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, India: September 15-16, 2005.
- 'Quality Control Techniques for Laboratory Rodents', ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, India: November 24-26, 2005.
- ‘Production of Quality Laboratory Rodents’, ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, India: December 14-15, 2006.
- ‘Microbes in Rodent Colonies’, ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, India: December 13-15, 2007.
- ‘Genetic Monitoring Techniques for Laboratory Rodents’, ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, November 12-14, 2008.
- ‘Laboratory Animals for Experimental Research’, ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, December 16-17, 2010.
The Laboratory Animal Facility can also induct summer/ short term trainees under the on-going quality control program of the Laboratory Animal Facility for M.Sc. or M.V.Sc. (Part I/II) students whose college requires project work. Interested students may contact Dr. Arvind Ingle, Officer-in-Charge, Laboratory Animal Facility [aingle@actrec.gov.in].
Animals for Research
The LAF provides surplus animals of some of the available strains to other CPCSEA-registered Animal facilities in India. Requests for animals must come from the Officer-in-Charge of the concerned Animal Facility and must contain details such as the number of animals required, species, strain, age, sex, date on which required, full contact details including e-mail, a copy of the valid/ renewed CPCSEA- registration, IAEC approval from the host organization, and undertaking that necessary basic infrastructure for maintaining the animals is available. Payment of animal purchase is to be made by DD only in favour of “Director, TMC-ACTREC” payable at Navi Mumbai.
Feedback on quality of animals
Your comments and suggestions will help us to improve the quality of animals produced by us. Feedback forms: In English / Hindi ( Download Devnagri Font - Kruti Dev 100 )
Request for animals, quality control services as well as for summer/ short-term training may be addressed to:
Dr. Arvind Ingle, MVSc (Path.); Diplomat ICVP
Officer-in-Charge, Laboratory Animal Facility
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer
Tata Memorial Centre
Sector 22, Kharghar,
Navi Mumbai - 410 210, MS, India. Tel: 022 - 27405047
Fax: 022 - 27405116
Email: aingle@actrec.gov.in