UAB Cancer Center Members increasingly dependent on important animal models of human malignancy for translational research. These include immunodeficient rodents, cancer-bearing rodents that may be immunocompromised by experimental therapies, and extremely valuable transgenic animals with a wide assortment of physiologic, immunologic or pathologic modifications. The Pathogen-Free Rodent Shared Facility provides a unique support mechanism which produces and maintains pathogen-free rodents of special strains and stocks for use in studies by members of the Cancer Center. Through a systematic program of controlled access to the facility, personnel training, health screening of incoming animals, and close monitoring of the health status of animal subpopulations, a shared facility for state-of-the-art pathogen-free rodent management is provided in the Cancer Center's 5100 NSF animal facility.
The specific aims are: To provide a user-friendly, highly effective program for the provision of rodent animal models free of all indigenous pathogen infections for the support of translational research. To assist users of the Pathogen-Free Rodent Shared Facility in meeting their individual, often specialized, animal needs. To provide rigorous health screening of incoming animals, with quarantine in flexible film isolators at other campus locations until approved for entry into the shared facility. To closely monitor the health status of facility subpopulations, and to expeditiously remove, eliminate, or otherwise minimize the risks from animal stocks found to have significant pathogens, always in close consultation with investigators. To closely supervise daily activities of the well qualified full-time Cancer Center animal husbandry staff selected for the facility in order to assure the consistent, high standard of animal care commensurate with the facility's goals.
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