OVERVIEW The Animal Structure and Function Module will provide new centralized space for state-of-the-art structural and functional animal testing with a dedicated animal care technician to conduct the testing and to train investigators and their staff on the use of the new equipment. The recent growth in the number of faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology conducting animal structure and functional testing has grown rapidly in recent years. With this critical mass of investigators, there are compelling financial and logistical reasons to minimize the number of animals in scientific studies. The use of ocular imaging methods that enable longitudinal observations in a living animal can greatly reduce the need to sacrifice animals at different time points in an experiment. In addition, the high cost of retinal imaging devices has made it prohibitively expensive to duplicate retinal imaging equipment. This core module provides a range of imaging and functioning testing services and with the purchase of a Micron III Animal Imaging System with mfERG and ERG setup and a spectral domain optical coherence tomography instrument housed in a new centralized laboratory, allow our researchers to make most efficient use of their time and resources. Moreover, it will leverage the engineering, computing and imaging expertise of several core laboratories (e.g. Drs. Weinreb, Silva, Bartsch and Zhang) and the international reputation of the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering and National Center for Microsocpy and Imaging Research and Department of Bioengineering (of which Dr. Bartsch is affiliated). In summary, the Animal Structure and Function Module will provide a streamlined set of tools that many faculty use on an as-needed basis for animal model validation and disease model profiling: OCT, FA, ICG, HRA, multi-focal ERG testing, and a range of ocular imaging services. This module is led by Drs. Zhang and Bartsch, whose in vivo imaging and functional analysis expertise and knowledge are invaluable assets.
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