? Core B. Animal Care and Germ-Free Mouse Core The Animal Care and Germ-Free Mouse Core of the proposed Michigan Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center will play a central role in the management of animal flow through the Center's phenotyping cores from initial acquisition to final disposition of imported mice. Both the Core Director and Associate Director are DVM/PhD veterinary scientists and diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. The Co-Director is a veterinarian and diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Specific functions of the Animal Care Core include the coordination of mouse importation, quarantine and environmental testing for a panel of murine pathogens, providing housing, husbandry and veterinary care of mice in accordance with the MMPC guidelines. In addition, research services such as hands-on technical support, in house clinical and diagnostic pathology, as well as germ-free technology and expertise will be unique components of our Core. Germ-free C57BL/6 and Swiss-Webster mice as well as several genetically engineered strains will be available to MMPC investigators. In addition, investigators may import germ-free mice from other institutions or request rederivation of new germ free strains. Experimental manipulations available for germ-free and SPF mice include routine treatments, sample collections and in-house analysis (blood, feces, urine, etc), necropsy, histology, special histochemical staining and immunohistochemistry, histopathologic interpretation, training, and experimental design consultation, among others. Goals of the Animal Care and Germ-Free Mouse Core are to provide the highest level of health and well-being as well as veterinary expertise for all research animals in our USDA-certified and AAALAC-accredited facilities. All Core services will be performed under University of Michigan UCUCA approved protocols. All SPF mice will be housed in Allentown ventilated racks. Germ- free mice will be maintained in isolators or Tecniplast Isocage racks. Barrier conditions including cage changing in vertical laminar flow changing stations, strict adherence to microisolator techniques, and use of isolated rooms for colony segregation will assure maintenance of pathogen free animals. In addition, the Animal Core will provide oversight for technical support such as dose administration, obtaining body weights, fasting, glucose levels, providing and monitoring special diets, and transfer of mice to and from ULAM housing to the laboratories of additional Cores of the MMPC.
