Animal Cage Capacity Policy
This policy is for the Animal Science Center housing of animals. The Animal Science Center (ASC) is committed to upholding minimum cage space requirements for all laboratory animals. For most laboratory animal species, the cage size is mandated by federal law.1 The “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” reflects these laws and […]
ASC Cleaning Procedures
Animal Science Center is committed to maintaining animal health and assisting in the production of high-quality biomedical research. Maintaining quality animal health and the “protective zone” for research animals from the potential pathogens associated with a multi-species research facility encompass multiple and interconnected components. First to achieve those goals is the purchase of high-quality animals […]
Fertilized and Embryonated Chicken Eggs
Any investigator intending to use embryos before day 16 (or earlier) of incubation need not have IACUC approval provided that the following criteria are met: The principal investigator must submit a letter of intent to the IACUC briefly stating the procedures to be done on the embryonated eggs. The letter must state that the embryonated […]
Rodent Breeding: Mice
Boston University is committed to observing federal policies and regulations and AAALAC international standards and guidelines for the humane care and use of animals. Mice have short gestation times and large litters. Therefore, cages may become overcrowded quickly if the individual responsible for managing the breeding colony and separating animals at the proper times does […]
Rodent Breeding: Rats
Boston University is committed to observing Federal policies and regulations and AAALAC International standards and guidelines for the humane care and use of animals. Rats have short gestation times, with litter sizes varying from 8–16 pups. Cages may become overcrowded quickly if the individual responsible for managing the breeding colony and separating animals at the […]
Importing/Exporting Animals
Importing Animals To begin the process of importing rodents from a collaborative institution or a non-approved animal vendor use the Animal Order function in AOps and provide the non-approved vendor information. Once the request has been submitted in AOps, ASC staff will contact the sending institution to request health reports for the past year, along […]
Security Guidance
Boston University laboratories often contain valuable equipment and materials, equipment and materials that may pose a danger to public safety, and equipment and materials that may pose a danger to an un-trained visitor. Therefore, it is important that the laboratory remain secure at all times. Some laboratories may have special precautions given the nature of […]
Safety Equipment Guidance
There may be many different types of safety equipment in laboratories at Boston University. The Laboratory Supervisor/Principal Investigator (PI) should ensure that laboratory workers are familiar with the location and proper operation of safety equipment available to the laboratory. A few of the more common pieces of laboratory safety equipment include: Chemical Fume Hoods Chemical […]
Safe Work Practices
The following safe work practices should be followed when working in the laboratory: Read and become familiar with the Chemical Hygiene Plan and any Standard Operating Procedures developed specifically for the laboratory prior to working in the laboratory. Become familiar with the location and use of emergency equipment and facilities, such as: eyewash and safety […]
Animal Monitoring in the Center for Biomedical Imaging
These guidelines form the basis of institutional policy, as approved by the Boston University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (BU IACUC), Center for Biomedical Imaging (CBI), and Boston University Animal Science Center (BU ASC). These guidelines apply to all animal imaging conducted at CBI (X-building B01) using imaging facilities, equipment and other resources also […]