Policies and Procedures

Required documentation for the animal use

Housing animals at TCP

Member Hospital investigators housing animals re-derived or generated by the Transgenic Core at TCP are required to have a TCP Animal Use Protocol (AUP) submitted to TCP's Animal Care Committee Coordinator for review prior to the submission of a Service Request. We can not initiate any experiments without a valid Animal Use Protocol.

If you already have an approved TCP AUP on file, please, complete mouse passport on LIMS and submit a TCP AUP amendment to add the new mouseline (s) to your existing AUP. The AUP and Amendment forms are available at https://lims.phenogenomics.ca with a valid account or by contacting the TCP ACC Coordinator (Email:)

Exporting animals from TCP

Investigators exporting re-derived or newly generated animals from TCP into their institutions are not required to have a TCP AUP (the procedures for external investigators are covered by the Transgenic Core AUP). However, it is essential to have all necessary paperwork in place to effectively transfer the imported animals to their facilities. Please verify the institutional requirements for importing animals prior to arranging for the transfer of the animals.

Health Monitoring and Transfer of Animals

All re-derived, cryorecovered and newly generated animals are housed in the core barrier holding area of TCP not accessible to researchers (accessible to TCP staff only). To increase biosecurity in this area, a new health monitoring program was implemented in April 2010. As part of this new program, mice are now screened directly using PCR and pooled fecal samples before being released from Transgenic Core. Samples are sent to an external commercial diagnostic laboratory for testing. All health monitoring fees are charged back to the investigator's account.

Animals are released only after murine pathogen testing has been completed, and results are reviewed and approved by the veterinarian. At this point they can be transferred to other holding areas within TCP or exported. TCP strongly recommends that investigators keep a colony of newly generated, cryorecovered and re-derived animals on Floor 1.

Recipients for dissections at mid-gestation are moved to the ground floor procedure room (Sterile Harvest) 24 hours before the required date stated in the submitted service request.

Pathogen-test of Embryonic Stem (ES) cells

The evidence of murine pathogens screening is part of TCP requirements to test all biological materials prior to their introduction into SPF animals. PCR-based Alternative to MAP (mouse antibody production) testing offered at Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (RADIL) is used for screening ES cell clones used for generation of chimeras.

TCP Transgenic Core accepts ES cell clones from the following facilities:

1. Approved Toronto ES cell facilities at Sick Kids Hospital; Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital; CMHD Gene Trap and CMMR; TCP Transgenic Core. These facilities provide TCP Transgenic Core with the documentation showing that all stocks of Primary Embryonic Mouse fibroblasts (MEF) and parental ES cell lines used for genetic manipulations are tested for mouse pathogens by RADIL Impact Profile I and quarterly with a RADIL Impact Profile IV + MNV + Ectro 'TCP IV'. Quarterly testing may include parental ES cell lines and/or selected genetically modified ES cell clone(s).
2. International Gene Trap and Knockout consortia:
   All imported cells need to be tested by RADIL Impact Profile 'TCP IV' prior to the initiation of chimeras' experiments if the documentation of the required pathogen testing is not provided to Transgenic Core.

Publications

The investigator will acknowledge the TCP Transgenic Core facility in the scientific publications resulting from our services and provide the copies of these publications to the TCP Transgenic Core.