In the last fiscal year, the NIDCR intramural animal research program used 45874 mice and 34 rats in research. Frogs that were approved for use in previous years remained in use in the frog colony housed on campus. No guinea pigs were used in this fiscal year. The program provides a dedicated animal facility that can accommodate 5,600 mouse cages with a capacity up to 28,000 mice to NIDCR investigators only. The cage occupancy rate of that animal facility was about 90% of assigned space in August 2015. Additional housing for mice is provided in three shared or centralized animal facilities on the Bethesda NIH campus and can accommodate 2220 more mouse cages with a capacity of 11,100 mice. Housing for rats is provided by 224 rat cages with a capacity of about 650 rats in a shared facility. Currently, there are 10 Xenopus frogs that are housed in a separate aquatics holding area in another NIH campus animal facility. At this time no nonhuman primates, dogs, cats, farm animals, or fish are used by the intramural program of NIDCR. The NIDCR Animal Care and Use Committee reviewed and approved, or requested modifications for approval of 36 animal study proposals and 189 protocol amendments. New personnel were added to approximately 57 approved protocols and 82 Annual Reviews of current animal study protocols were conducted by the ACUC. Training is required for all animal users, principal investigators, and ACUC members. NIDCR intramural scientists create and breed transgenic mice for experimental use in NIDCR operated and other NIH shared animal facilities. The NIDCR animal program is continually sharing these valuable animal resources and importing additional transgenic mice for specific research studies. The NIDCR Veterinary Resources Core maintains full AAALAC accreditation and continually reviews facility operations in order to remain in good standing with all applicable regulations.
| Mukaibo, Taro; Munemasa, Takashi; George, Alvin T et al. (2018) The apical anion exchanger Slc26a6 promotes oxalate secretion by murine submandibular gland acinar cells. J Biol Chem 293:6259-6268 |
