Animal Research Resource Center (ARRC)
Department of Medicine in Collaboration with BU School of Medicine

Scientific Director: Katya Ravid, Professor of Biochemistry, Medicine

ARRC Advisory Committee: Drs. Gerald Denis (Chair), Kenneth Albrecht, Jinag-Fan Chen, Wellington Cardoso, Xuemei Zhong

Introduction to the Animal Research Resource Center (ARRC)

Mission: The ARRC was established to enhance research, teaching and academic opportunities at BU school of Medicine. The Center consists of four units: Animal Metabolic Phenotyping Core (MPC); Micro-Ultrasound Imaging Core; Whole Mouse Imaging; and Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell and Cryopreservation Unit. The latter unit is part of an already existing and productive Trangenic Core at BU school of Medicine.

• Key outcome measures of health in rodent models including:
  • Aging
  • Insulin resistance
  • Obesity
  • Heart Failure
  • Cancer
  • Genetic alterations
  • Pharmacological interventions
  • Exercise training
• Measurement of basal metabolic rate and physical activity using a comprehensive laboratory animal monitoring system and open circuit calorimeter
• Expertise in conducting glucose tolerance and insulin responsiveness measures
• Assessment of muscle strength and exercise capacity

Use of the devices/equipment in this core is by request and organized by an online scheduling program. To gain log-in credentials, please follow this link to complete the online application form.

Introduction to the Metabolic Phenotyping Core

Contact

Ravi, Jasuja, PhD, Core Director
E-mail: jasuja@bu,edu

Location

Metabolic Phenotyping Core
BioSquare III
670 Albany St., 2nd Floor

Instruments/Services

EchoMRI 900 for non-invasive body composition measures during longitudinal studies

Schedule this device (Log-in credentials required)

Comprehensive Laboratory Animal monitoring System (CLAMS, Columbus Instruments); 8 mice and 4 rat chambers

Schedule this device (Log-in credentials required)

Six lane programmable treadmill, Grip strength meter and Rotarod (Columbus Instruments)

Introduction to the Micro-Ultrasound Imaging Core

Contact

Victoria Herrera, MD, Core Director
E-mail: vherrera@bu.edu

Location

Center for Advanced Biomedical Research
700 Albany St, W-628-C

Instruments/Services

VisualSonics Vevo770 micro-ultrasound imaging system with integrated anesthesia-delivery and physiological monitoring for small animal model research

Schedule this device (Log-in credentials required)

• Four real time micro-visualization scanheads (23.5, 45, 60 and 82.5 MHz) to achieve serial , non-invasive, real time imaging pertinent to different research fields:
  • General Research: integrated imaging and physiological analysis; anatomical structures to a spatial resolution of 30 microns applicable to small animal organs, tumors and embryos
  • Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Vascular Research: anatomical and functional imaging of the heart, systemic arteries (aortic, coronary, carotid, renal, hepatic arteries) and pulmonary arteries
  • Cancer Research: real time imaging of tumors in vivo, serial monitoring of tumor volume, perfusion, vascular density and flow architecture; detection of prepalpable primary and metastatic tumors
  • Developmental Biology: serial analysis and quantification of functional and anatomical targets in embryos (in utero and ex vivo capabilities)
  • Molecular Imaging and Quantification: microbubble-based (MicroMarker) enhanced imaging and quantification of myocardial viability, tumor perfusion; targeted-MicroMarker enhanced imaging and quantification of inflammation, angiogenesis, other "ab-targetable" intravascular sites
• Research-friendly annotation and quantification of ultrasound data using preset measurements and software analysis tools.
• Flexible data management through 5-site licenses for off-site analysis and data transfers into xls, ppt, word-doc.
  

Introduction to the Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell and Embryo Cryopreservation Unit

The unit will centralize mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells prior and after engineering, to be distributed to investigators; assist in ES electroporation and cell selection and cryopreservation of already available mouse lines. With a future increase in personnel, services will expand beyond teaching and assistance.  Available expertise includes:

• Guidance and some assistance with ES cell culturing on feeder layers and clone selection; electroporation
• Cryopreservation of engineered mouse lines
• Assistance and guidance in breeding ES cell- derived mouse lines

This unit will develop tools relevant and important to the study of a variety of disease states.

LaThetaT LCT-100 scanner

The animal phenotyping core houses microCT instrumentation to complement NMR measures of body composition. While NMR provides rapid (~5 min./animal) assessment of overall lean/fat content, microCT scans (~45min/animal) provide spatial distribution of adipose tissue, intra-adipose tissue and bone measures. The sample holder accommodates animals up to 1.5 Kg and is intended especially for the both in-vivo and ex-vivo measurements. Low energy x-ray source is utilized to facilitate multiple scans for longitudinal studies. Very fast scanning and reconstruction times of its detector allow seeing the result during the acquisition, aborting, and changing the parameters after the first slice is displayed. Applications include:

1. Visceral versus subcutaneous fat measurement
2. Fatty liver characterization
   With internal reference of spleen tissue, considered to be pure lean, relative CT-number of liver is quantitated. In lean animals, liver can contain up to 10% fat, while in the obese ones, liver fatness can reach 30-40%.
3. Brown fat and white fat differentiation
4. Bone measurements
   • Bone Mineral Density (BMD)
   • Morphometry
   • Mechanical strength
   • Recognition between the cortical and trabecular areas

Contact

Katya Ravid, DSc/PhD, Core Director
E-mail: kravid@bu.edu

Location

CBRC building (X building)
Room 221; 650 Albany St.

Instruments/Services

Xenogen IVIS® Imaging System Series Spectrum
In Vivo Imaging of Bioluminescent, and Fluorescent Probes

For more information about the Xenogen IVIS® Imaging System and/or to schedule its use, click here

For further information, contact
Anna Studwell, BA, Core Manager
astudwel@bu.edu
617-414-1654

Location  LASC W 816/  Computer Work Stations  R205

IVIS® Spectrum Instrument 120V, with Fluorescence Kit (Trans and Epi Illumination)

The imaging platform enables users to quantify depth, geometry and intensity for both bioluminescent and fluorescent sources in three dimensional spatial resolutions. The primary use of the instrumentation is to non-invasively monitor bioluminescence and fluorescence in 3 dimensions within small animal models (rats and mice) although the instrument may also be used to assay comparatively sized tissues volumes for short periods of time post animal retrieval for specimens from larger animals.  The Xenogen IVIS Spectrum Instrument with Fluorescence Kit, Anesthesia System, and Living Image Acquisition/Analysis Package provides the  capacity to non-invasively monitor up to (5 mice) at once with the capacity to monitor in vivo multiple fluorescent reporter and bioluminescent reporters simultaneously.  The Living Image Acquisition/Analysis Software Package that is included with the system provides advanced quantification and analysis of all data acquired in 3 dimensions from each animal.

1. Uses of the system include tracking of bioluminescent or fluorescently tagged cancer cells to monitor growth and metastasis.
2. Monitor all forms of cell transplant experiments to quantify engraftment, cell growth or cell differentiation.  Uses would include studies of stem cell transplants, reconstitution of hematological and immune systems after irradiation.
3. Monitor the in vivo gene activity in transgenic animals carrying appropriately tagged promoter indicator trangenes.
4. Monitor in vivo gene activities in cells that have been reconstituted to carry a bioluminescent or fluorescently tagged expressed gene.
5. Monitor any form of biochemical activity that can be assayed using a bioluminescent or fluorescently tagged substrate.

Exact Summary of the Instrumentation
Xenogen IVIS® Imaging System Series Spectrum
Spectral Instruments Cooled CCD Camera (or equivalent)

• CCD Operating Temperature: Nominal -90º C
• CCD Size: 2.7  X 2.7 cm
• Back-thinned, back-illuminated Grade 1 CCD
• Custom lens with 5 magnification settings
• Field of view: 3.9cm X 3.9cm to 26cm X 26cm
• Field of view allows for single cell resolution up to seven mice per image
• Camera controller
• Cryogenic refrigeration unit
• Imaging Chamber Dimensions: 51cm X 51cm X 66cm (D X W X H)
• Gas anesthesia inlet and outlet ports for connection with gas anesthesia machine
• Heated sample stage: Ambient to 40º C
• Scanning Laser for alignment and surface topography
• High Performance acquisition computer and 20-inch, high-resolution flat screen monitor
• Control software including one (1) acquisition copy of Living Image® software
• Two (2) analysis copy of Living Image software
• Operation manual
• Eighteen (18) Spectral Imaging Filters for tomographic reconstruction: