Animal Facility (AF) The Hillman Cancer Center Animal Facility (AF) is a biomedical research support shared resource consisting of staff, services, and facilities dedicated to meeting the animal-dependent needs of the research programs of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). The goal of the AF is to provide expertise, advice, facilities, personnel, training, and assistance when cancer-related investigations require the use of animal models.
The specific aims of the AF are to 1) Provide professional expertise in the design and implementation of experiments that use animal models, 2) Maintain facilities, staff, and supply resources dedicated to meet research goals as well as regulatory compliance for cancer investigators, 3) Provide veterinary advice, training, education in animal use; and consultation as well as technical support, 4) Provide support and advice for live animal imaging projects as needed, and 5) Perform detailed comparative pathology review of tissues, as well as train others in this analysis. Veterinary technical support, animal modeling consultation, and veterinary interpretive pathologic phenotypic support are the main services covered by the AF. The facility occupies 13,085 net sq. ft. in the Hillman Cancer Center, Research Pavilion (HCC) and is designed, managed, and dedicated to maintain specific pathogen free (SPF) rodent populations, using barrier and micro-isolator caging systems and techniques. New since 2010 is renovation of space behind the barrier to house the small animal MRI and small animal PET/CT modalities of the IVIF. This shared resource is an integral component of the University?s animal program overseen by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The University of Pittsburgh Animal Care and Use Program (Unit #000496) is fully accredited (last updated March, 2014) by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, affirmed via AAALAC?s website www.aaalac.org/accreditedorgs/index.cfm. In addition, the University has a letter of assurance on file with OLAW, NIH (#A3187-01) that was last renewed in June 2012 and is valid through May 2016, and is registered as a research institution with the United States Department of Agriculture (23-R-0024). During the current project period investigators in all 10 of the UPCI Research Programs used the AF.
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