Animal Housing and Experimental Operating Theaters Unit

Introduction

The purpose of the animal housing and experimental operating theatres section is to maintain, produce and control experimental animals for research and teaching at the university, as well as for other research centres that request its services. The facilities are registered as a user centre for experimental animals in the register of user centres of the Service of Animal Production and Health, Conselleria d’Agricultura i Pesca of Generalitat Valenciana.

Services

The facility, with an area of approximately 700 m², provides centralized and specific tools and housing for breeding and maintaining experimental animals. Its facilities allow for the housing of research animals (mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs, etc.), the breeding and development of animal models, the maintenance of genetically modified mice, animal welfare advice and monitoring.

Equipment

Open-cage racks, filter-cage racks, ventilated racks, isolator cabinets, laminar flow cabinets.
Washing and sterilization area with cage-washer, with a high cleaning and disinfection capacity, feeding bottle washer, animal sterilization autoclave, Window SAS with ultraviolet light and Hydrogen peroxide SAS.
Operating theaters for inferior mammals (rodents, lagomorphs and others) and for superior mammals (pig), equipped with the material needed to carry out basic surgical procedures: inhalation anaesthesia, ventilators for procedures under general anaesthesia, gases, diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, scopy), endoscopy and laparoscopy towers, etc.
Haemogram, biochemistry, gases, electrolytes, clinical chemistry and general analytical equipment for the control of animal models in different species.
Preclinical non-invasive multimodal imaging equipment (IVIS).
Procedure rooms to carry out experimental manipulation tasks, necropsies, etc.
Behavior room to carry out behavioral studies.