Animal facility
Mission
Supporting translational research based on animal models. Biomedical research requires the use of experimental animals that, as biological reagents, meet all the requirements necessary to conduct research of the highest quality, within an environment and under care conditions that guarantee the health and welfare of the animals.
Description
It is a Research Support Service (SAI) whose primary purpose is to provide researchers with the most suitable animals to achieve the objectives of their projects, as well as to maintain the appropriate environmental and health conditions to ensure their successful completion, safeguarding the health status and welfare of the animals.
This service is available to all researchers at the IiSGM and other centres, provided that they are suitably accredited to handle laboratory animals; it is therefore essential to hold the corresponding professional authorisation (Royal Decree 53/2013 and Order ECC/566/2015).
The IiSGM Animal Facility SAI is part of the Experimental Medicine and Surgery Unit (UMCE).
Services offered
Services are offered relating to the breeding, housing and supply of different breeds and strains of rats, mice and pigs under different housing conditions. Different possibilities are also offered for carrying out experimental procedures on the Animal Facility's premises, with or without the involvement of our own staff. In addition, the rates include other ancillary services, such as the administration of treatments, the performance of procedures or the animal transport service.
Other experimental techniques may be commissioned upon request.
Installation
The SAI Animal Facility is located on the ground floor of the Experimental Medicine and Surgery Unit (UMCE). It has an approximate area of 170 m2, divided between common areas and animal housing areas.
The animal facility has two distinct areas: one area for working with animals under conventional conditions and a second barrier area for working with animals under SPF conditions (specific pathogen-free).
In the first of these, there is an animal housing area for animals in quarantine, where animals in transit or those that, due to the characteristics of
the studies, have to leave the barrier area are housed. This area also includes a containment room for animals with biological risk level 2 and the pig housing and postoperative care rooms.
In the barrier area, rodents are bred and housed, and experimental procedures with these animals are carried out.
Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital (HGUGM) is included in the Register of Breeding, Supplying and User Establishments for Animals for Experimentation or Other Scientific Purposes of the Community of Madrid, as a User Centre with Centre Code: ES280790000087.
Structure and distribution
Conventional animal housing area
- Storage room
- Cleaning area
- Mouse quarantine room
- Rat quarantine room
- Pig quarantine room
- Pig postoperative care room
- Housing room for rodents with biological risk level 2 (infected animals)
Barrier area
- Rat maintenance room
- Mouse maintenance room
- Sterile material storage room
- Clean storage room
- Procedure room 1
- Procedure room 2
Technology
The equipment available in the animal facility includes:
- Ventilated Isolator Cabinets equipped with HEPA-ULPA filters for housing rodents
- Laminar flow cabinets for the transfer of animals
- Rodent housing cabinet for metabolic studies
- 2 Type II biological safety cabinets
- Double-door steriliser with liquid cycle
- Miniclave steriliser with liquid cycle
- Cage washer
- Animal transport stretcher
- Scales for large animals
- Scales for rodents
- Equipment for sterilisation by hydrogen peroxide vaporisation
- Pressure washer
- Window-format sterile access system (“Safety Access System” - SAS)
- Type 1000 and Type 500 conventional cages, with grille and divider
- Cages with grille and filter for rats and mice
- Equipment, devices and various materials for carrying out experimental procedures, including induction chambers, respirators and accessories for the anaesthesia and analgesia of rodents.
Contact
Dr. Fernando Asensio
Head of the SAI Animal Facility
Experimental Medicine and Surgery Unit
Email: fernando.asensio(ELIMINAR)@iisgm.com
Telephone: 91 586 64 52 / 91 586 81 03
Web: https://umce.hggm.es/sai/animalario
Dr. Pedro Llontop
Head of the SAI Animal Facility
Experimental Medicine and Surgery Unit
Email: pedro.llontop(ELIMINAR)@iisgm.com
Telephone: 91 586 64 52 / 914269206
Web: https://umce.hggm.es/sai/animalario
Website with the booking procedure: umce.hggm.es
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón
C/ Doctor Esquerdo, 46; Madrid 28007- Animal Platform. Animal Facility