Welcome to the Porter Neuroscience Research Center Animal

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Welcome to the Porter Neuroscience Research Center Animal Facility. Building 35 Managed by AHCS

Welcome to the Porter Neuroscience Research Center Animal Facility. Building 35 Managed by AHCS (Animal Health Care Section) and serving multiple institutes 1

Table of Contents • • • • • • • • Facility Contact Information—p.

Table of Contents • • • • • • • • Facility Contact Information—p. 3 -4 The Reception Area—p. 5 -6 The Gowning Areas—p. 7 -9 Vivarium Information (and Access to)—p. 10 -12 Floor Plan—p. 13 Cage Wash, Cage Wash Requests, and Clean Side Hallway—p. 14 -16 South Corridor—p. 17 North Corridor—p. 18 Dirty Side Hallway—p. 19 Long Hallway—p. 20 700 Corridor and Vertical Vivariums—p. 21 Animal Corridors (general)—p. 22 Marshalling Areas—p. 23 Feed/Supplements— 24 Caging—p. 25 Transport Containers—p. 26 -27 Procedure Rooms—p. 28 Animal Holding Rooms—p. 29 -30 Animal Handling—p. 31 IVC Housing—p. 32 Euthanasia Requests—p. 33 Communication within the Animal Rooms—p. 34 -40 Food/Water Restriction—p. 37 Watch Cards & Surgical Records—p. 41 Communication from our Staff—p. 42 Breeding/Weaning—p. 43 Generating Cage Cards—p. 44 Finishing with a Cage—p. 45 Technical Service Requests—p. 46 Final Words—p. 47 Helpful Links—p. 48 2

Facility Management • Erika Wiltrout (Project Manager) 301. 496. 7108 • Brooke Davis-Ritchie (Assistant

Facility Management • Erika Wiltrout (Project Manager) 301. 496. 7108 • Brooke Davis-Ritchie (Assistant Project Manager) 301. 451. 3093 • Rodney James (Husbandry Manager) 301. 451. 0978 • Vanessa Garcia (Technical Supervisor) 301. 451. 0979 • Terrence Fultz (Cage Wash Department Manager) 301. 451. 9080 • Dave Ciurzynski (Facility Trainer) 301. 443. 7037 • Carolyn Pelham (Training Coordinator) 301. 496. 4605 3

Facility Veterinarians • Dr. James O’Malley (Animal Program Director)-301. 402. 0068 • Dr. Nancy

Facility Veterinarians • Dr. James O’Malley (Animal Program Director)-301. 402. 0068 • Dr. Nancy Hitt (Facility Veterinarian)-301. 496. 7107 – Cubicle Management and Imports • Dr. James Mc. Gehee (Facility Veterinarian)-301. 402. 0223 – NIDCD • Dr. Heather Narver (Facility Veterinarian)-301. 402. 1636 – Rodent Health Surveillance Program • Dr. Crystal Thomas (Facility Veterinarian)-301. 402. 7615 – Emergency Preparedness • Dr. Brian Wilgenburg (Facility Veterinarian)-301. 402. 9681 – Exports and transfers 4

The Reception Area The front desk staff are available to help you with: •

The Reception Area The front desk staff are available to help you with: • Animal orders • Transfers, Imports & Exports They are also a great resource should you have any questions about our facility. If they are unable to address the concern, they can direct you to the person best suited to address your individual issues. 5

Also located in the reception area…. • Defibrillator (AED) • Emergency contact lists (also

Also located in the reception area…. • Defibrillator (AED) • Emergency contact lists (also posted throughout the facility) • Emergency telephone (calls both on and off-campus numbers in the event of a power outage or other emergency) • Unisex restroom for investigators and visitors is located at the far corner of this area (next to Room number BC-907). 6 • Facility management offices

Gowning Areas Gowning areas are at each of the entrances to the animal facility.

Gowning Areas Gowning areas are at each of the entrances to the animal facility. 1. Main entrance 2. BE-760 (700 corridor) entrance 3. Vertical Vivarium level 1 (VV 1) 4. Vertical Vivarium level 2 (VV 2) 5. BC-800 (Annex) entrance 7

The Gowning Area Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Provided 1. Facemasks 2. Hair bonnets 3.

The Gowning Area Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Provided 1. Facemasks 2. Hair bonnets 3. Shoe covers (small, medium, and large) 4. Gloves (small, medium, and large) 5. Lab coats (x-large and 4 x-large) Minimum PPE requirements to enter facility : Lab coat and Shoe covers 8

Other things you may find in the gowning area… • Lockers (main, 700, VV

Other things you may find in the gowning area… • Lockers (main, 700, VV 1, VV 2) • Provided so lab supplies don’t have to be carried back and forth • Reserve a locker through facility management • Please check with your lab mates first to ensure your lab does not already have a reserved locker. • -80°C freezer (main & 700) • This is where samples requested from our technical service team can be picked up. You will get an email notification when samples are ready. 9

Vivarium information In all entrances to the vivarium, other than the Annex hallway, you

Vivarium information In all entrances to the vivarium, other than the Annex hallway, you will see a dry erase board with various information. This includes: • Emergency contact sheet • The veterinary on-call schedule • Room entry order (mice, rats, isolation, quarantine). – If you enter a mouse room after a rat room please ensure your PPE has been changed • Gottesman Memo- Reporting Animal Welfare Concerns 10

A few other notes… • Carts • Spray the wheels down with the provided

A few other notes… • Carts • Spray the wheels down with the provided disinfectant before pushing the cart into the vivarium • Photos • • • Must be added to animal study protocol and approved by ACUC Requires permission from facility management and/or the Animal Program Director Food & Drink prohibited inside the vivarium. 11

Access Into the Vivarium • ID badge access is required for entering the vivarium,

Access Into the Vivarium • ID badge access is required for entering the vivarium, animal holding rooms, and procedure rooms. • Project management will grant you this access after orientation is completed and your addition to an active Animal Study Protocol has been confirmed. 12

Floor Plan 13

Floor Plan 13

Finding Your Way Around • As soon as you enter the vivarium through the

Finding Your Way Around • As soon as you enter the vivarium through the main entrance, you will find yourself facing the “cleanside” of cagewash. • There is no traffic flow in regards to the corridors. You are welcome to go in either direction from this point. • Cagewash occupies the “center block” in the middle of our facility. All the animal hallways branch out from this block. If you need a cart, you may knock on this door to get one. • Throughout the facility you will see groups of photographs of our staff along with their job titles. The “wall of photos” is there to help you get to know our staff. 14

“Clean Side” Hallway • Turning left you will be heading to the North and

“Clean Side” Hallway • Turning left you will be heading to the North and South corridors, towards the doors of the BC-800 entrance • You will see the wall of pictures for our cagewash department, veterinary department, husbandry supervisory staff, and some additional administrators and facility support staff. • You will also pass the doors to the South Technician office & the Training Department office. You can usually find at least one VT in the technician office if you need supplies or have a veterinary question. 15

“Clean Side” Hallway • Rack for dirty caging • Return empty cages to this

“Clean Side” Hallway • Rack for dirty caging • Return empty cages to this rack • Equipment request slips located here Ø may request for our cagewash staff to wash lab-owned equipment that you are unable to wash in your lab Ø Fill out the request form completely and place it on the rack with the equipment you want washed • Pick up cleaned equipment on the opposite, far end of the hallway • Carcass refrigerator 16

South Corridor • Our “cleanest” room per the room entry order (AHS 4). •

South Corridor • Our “cleanest” room per the room entry order (AHS 4). • Two Cubicle Rooms Ø Are often under different light cycles Ø Cubicles have both red lights and white lights. Ø Check to see if the DO NOT ENTER sign outside the doors is illuminated before entering. This indicates that someone is working under red lights with animals requiring a different light cycle. In the photo below, this sign is not illuminated. Ø If your study would benefit from reserving Cubicle space, requests can be made through cubicle management. 17

North Corridor • The North Technician office is located at the far end of

North Corridor • The North Technician office is located at the far end of this corridor just before you enter the “dirty side” of the facility Ø If you are requesting technical services from our staff, then this is likely where that work is being completed. The North Corridor also has paneling on the walls and ceiling that helps absorb noise and vibrations. 18

“Dirty Side” • The Isolation suite is located in this corridor. Ø For animals

“Dirty Side” • The Isolation suite is located in this corridor. Ø For animals that have arrived to our facility from a source with an unknown or suspect health status. Ø Access is restricted in this area and you will be granted access only if necessary. • Euthanasia suite (marked Necropsy) • Cage wash department manager’s office • Storage spaces • Entrances to dirty side cage wash 19

“Long” Hallway • This hallway intersects the “dirty side” hallway. You may also get

“Long” Hallway • This hallway intersects the “dirty side” hallway. You may also get to this hallway by making a right as you first enter the vivarium from the main gowning area • This hallway connects the 100 corridor, the 300 corridor, the 600 corridor, and the 700 corridor. Ø The emergency exit is located at the end of each of these corridors. • Animal and procedure rooms are numbered as such. Ø Example: Animal Holding room 115 in the 100 corridor and Procedure room 709 in the 700 corridor. • Although the 600 corridor exists, animals are not routinely housed there. Should you require access to this corridor, then arrangements can be made through project management. • Along the long hallway, you will find the husbandry manager’s and the technical services supervisor’s offices. 20

700 Corridor At the far end of the 700 corridor is another entrance/exit from

700 Corridor At the far end of the 700 corridor is another entrance/exit from the vivarium. When you exit the double doors at the end you will find yourself facing some elevators. PPE is required to be worn on elevators. Also located in this area are a second -80°C freezer, another gowning area, and another bank of lockers available for reservation. Vertical Vivariums • Located on the first or second floor • Your animals may be housed in these areas if your IC has assigned you here. Otherwise, the elevators and the animal spaces on the first and second floors are restricted access. 21

ALL Animal Corridors • Contain Ø Animal Holding Rooms Ø Procedure Rooms Ø Marshalling

ALL Animal Corridors • Contain Ø Animal Holding Rooms Ø Procedure Rooms Ø Marshalling Area • Vet Duty Chart Ø Indicates which facility vet is assigned to the animals in your room. • Emergency contact list and at least one emergency phone in the hallway. • A photo of the animal care technician who is responsible for the animals in that room is posted outside animal holding room. • Colored flags are on the outside of each animal holding room. These flags help facilitate communication among our staff about the status or issues of each room. 22

Marshalling Areas Every animal corridor should have its own marshalling areas. North and South

Marshalling Areas Every animal corridor should have its own marshalling areas. North and South Corridors share one with the South Corridor having an additional “mini” marshalling area at the far end of the corridor. You will find many commonly used supplies that you might need. Some supplies to find here include the following: Ø Feed Ø Caging (including divided cages for separating aggressive animals or time-mated animals, for example) and water bottles Ø Supplements (within the Supplement refrigerator) Ø Transport boxes and containers Ø Carcass Refrigerator (contains separate bin for carcasses requested to be saved) 23

Feed/Supplements Two main diets in the PNRC 1. NIH-07 diet Ø Comes standard to

Feed/Supplements Two main diets in the PNRC 1. NIH-07 diet Ø Comes standard to every cage, unless you denote otherwise 2. Lab Diet 5015 Ø This is a High-Fat chow and is typically used for breeding cages. Check this box on the cage flag to have us provide it for your animals. You are responsible for ordering any other diet you wish your animals to be provided. Supplements can be given at yours or the facility veterinarians’ discretion. They are found in the marshalling areas. Ø Apples Ø Oranges Ø Bacon softie treats Ø Diet Gel and Diet Gel Boost 24

Caging Allentown Next. Gen Mouse cage Tecniplast GR 900 Rat cage • Two different

Caging Allentown Next. Gen Mouse cage Tecniplast GR 900 Rat cage • Two different brands of caging: 1) Tecniplast 2)Allentown Ø Available in the marshalling areas and as divided cages • Mouse caging: Ø Ø the blue caging (Tecniplast) can house up to 4 adults the purple caging (Allentown) can house up to 5 adults. In divided cages, up to 2 adults housed on either side If divided cages are mixed sex, then only 1 male is allowed in the whole cage • Rat caging-we only use Tecniplast caging; however, there a few different sizes (and colors). Ø Rat caging is available only in the marshalling areas of corridors which have rat holding rooms. • Each cage is provided with standard enrichment: a TP roll, nestlet, and Enviro-Dri 25

Transport Containers We are an “Animal Travel Friendly” animal facility. This means you are

Transport Containers We are an “Animal Travel Friendly” animal facility. This means you are free to bring your animals to your labs in PNRC and return them back to the vivarium again. To facilitate transport back and forth, we offer three options: 1. Pre-made cardboard “official” transport boxes Ø Can transport one cage of animals per box Ø Can be taped shut and used to transport animals outside of the PNRC 2. Soup containers must have the filter popped out of the top to ensure the animals receive enough air must add a “Live Animal” sticker to the outside of the container Can transport a single animal or litter of neonates we have both smaller and larger ones available depending on the species you are transporting. Ø Can be taped shut and used to transport animals outside of the PNRC Ø Ø 3. Their home caging Ø Please cover cages with disposable lab coat or other cloth material prior to leaving the vivarium. Ø Caging will need to be returned to our facility Ø Please place dirty, empty cages on one of the dirty cage racks located in the marshalling areas. Ø It is recommended that you turn the water bottle around (with the sipper tube facing 26 up) to avoid soaking the inside of the cage during transport.

Transport Containers Cont’d • DO NOT take cages or boxed up animals through areas

Transport Containers Cont’d • DO NOT take cages or boxed up animals through areas in the building designated for the public such as the convenience store or the Atrium area at PNRC. • The Pre-made cardboard “official” transport boxes and soup containers are for a one time use only. It is not recommended to reuse the boxes at any time. • Do not combine animals from different cages into box or soup container. 27

Procedure Rooms • Most of these rooms can be reserved. Please check that the

Procedure Rooms • Most of these rooms can be reserved. Please check that the room does not have signage indicating that it is a designated procedure room. • You’re welcome to use any non-designated room that is not currently occupied. • Please check the schedule located next to the room to ensure no one has reserved it. • The link for reserving a procedure room is as follows: https: //ncrs. ninds. nih. gov/ • You are welcome to use anything you find in these rooms to complete your work; however, not all rooms may be stocked with exactly the same supplies including biosafety cabinets and microscopes. • One shared procedure room in each corridor will have analgesics available for your use. This designated room will bear signage on the door indicating that analgesics can be found there. 28

Some Animal Room Basics • 12: 12 light cycle with lights coming on at

Some Animal Room Basics • 12: 12 light cycle with lights coming on at 6: 00 a. m. and going off at 6: 00 p. m. Ø You may request the light cycle be changed through facility management Ø You may notice in this (or other corridors) that there may be red lighting in the hallway. This red lighting is located outside rooms that are on an alternate light cycle to prevent white light from entering as you or our staff exit and enter those animal holding rooms. • Temperature=70 to 74°F • Humidity= 30 to 65% • Animal care technicians are responsible for checking the food and water levels as well as the animals health and breeding status twice daily. 29

The Animal Holding Rooms The standard layout of each animal holding room has the

The Animal Holding Rooms The standard layout of each animal holding room has the IVC racks arranged in an upside down “U” shape. When you first enter the room, the first rack on your left is designated Rack 1. As you progress through the “U” the racks are numbered sequentially. The side of the rack that is facing you is side A and away from you is side B. Your animals will be assigned to rack space designated for the PI under whom you work. You can also find the rack assignment/map in the Husbandry book located in each animal holding room. 30

Animal Handling • Each room has a mini PPE station that is stocked with

Animal Handling • Each room has a mini PPE station that is stocked with gloves and face masks available for your use. • Our staff are required to handle your cages with proper technique and must be wearing both (and using a modified aseptic technique) any time they open a cage. It is strongly recommended that you handle cages in the same fashion. • Our staff are also required to change their gloves when handling animals from different racks or different sides of each rack. These handling methods are also recommended for the research staff. 31

Special Note Regarding IVC Housing Both the Allentown and Tecniplast caging is individually ventilated

Special Note Regarding IVC Housing Both the Allentown and Tecniplast caging is individually ventilated and designed to be maintained on an IVC rack. Cages should not be undocked from their rack for long periods of time as this impacts the air flow to the animals as well as increases the temperature and humidity within the cage. If you are not actively working on a cage, please ensure that it is docked on its rack for the welfare of your animals. If you are working with caging that is undocked, pop the filter out of the caging to ensure the animals are receiving enough air. Should your study require static caging, please address this with management and the veterinary staff to ensure that you are using appropriate caging to meet your protocol needs. 32

Euthanasia Requests “Please Euthanize” stickers are provided in each animal holding room • For

Euthanasia Requests “Please Euthanize” stickers are provided in each animal holding room • For euthanizing the entire cage • Be sure to write your initials and the date on the sticker • We do not accept handwritten notes for euthanasia requests. • Never combine animals from different cages. • If there are one or more animals within a cage that you do not want to be euthanized: 1. 2. 3. 4. Separate out the animals that you want euthanized into their own cage * Put a blank cage card on that cage Add the filled out Please Euthanize sticker OR you can fill out a technical services request form to have our veterinary department euthanize just the animals you would like euthanized provided they are individually identifiable. *Special note: It is considered an animal welfare issue to have any pups under the age of 21 days separated from their mother. If you wish to euthanize only some of the animals, you may euthanize them yourself. If you are euthanizing animals yourself, be aware that animals awaiting euthanasia may not be in the same room as animals that are currently being euthanized. 33

Communication within the Animal Rooms In addition to the signal flags outside of animal

Communication within the Animal Rooms In addition to the signal flags outside of animal holding rooms for inter-staff communication, we use a series of cage flags (small laminated flags that are affixed to the cage card holder) to communicate information to each other and for you to communicate with us regarding individual cages. These include: • Food Supplement flags • Breeder Cage flags • Special Husbandry flags • Study specific flags • Watch Cards 34

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Special Husbandry Flags • Please fill out this flag in its entirety to request

Special Husbandry Flags • Please fill out this flag in its entirety to request special husbandry for a particular cage (or cages). • Examples include additional enrichment, no enrichment, special food, etc… • These should also hang on each of the cages that are on a food or water restriction study. 36

Food/Water Restriction • These studies require an advance meeting with a facility vet and

Food/Water Restriction • These studies require an advance meeting with a facility vet and the AHCS staff prior to their start. • You will have the responsibility of filling out the Food/Water Restriction log daily. • All cages on a food/water restriction must have a Special Husbandry flag and a technical service request must be submitted and approved if our staff are performing services for these cages. • Please read SOP 4720 PI for further details. 37

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Watch Cards & Surgical records • If you notice one of your animals has

Watch Cards & Surgical records • If you notice one of your animals has a health concern, please communicate this verbally or via email to a member of our staff in order for them to address your concern as you will not have access to the log. • If you perform surgery on any of your animals Ø Place a Watch card on each cage in front of the cage card. Ø Complete a yellow surgery record • Found in the wall desk outside of the rooms • Once complete it needs to go back in the wall desk (lay it flat, do not put it in the “file”) • We do offer pre-printed surgery records for individuals who are doing surgery often and whose records would have the same information repeated. Ø If you are interested in having these made, please speak to the technical services supervisor or a facility veterinarian. 41

Communication From Our Staff • You may receive emails/phone calls from our staff regarding

Communication From Our Staff • You may receive emails/phone calls from our staff regarding “Watch Card” cages we identify, animals due for weaning, or other issues or concerns with your animals. • Please respond in a timely manner. For instance, animals due for weaning must be weaned within 3 days of their due date and cages with double litters must be resolved by close of business on the day that they are identified. • We define Close of Business as 3: 00 p. m. 42

Breeding/Weaning • You are responsible for maintaining all breeding and weaning records. • Our

Breeding/Weaning • You are responsible for maintaining all breeding and weaning records. • Our staff are not authorized to determine which cages are breeding cages, so you will have the responsibility of hanging the breeding cage flag on all breeding cages and indicating if High Fat feed is desired. • Only one male may be in a breeding cage. • Our staff will monitor for new litters born and will send an email when these litters are due for weaning. • Unless you have a standing weaning request in place, you will be responsible for weaning these litters within 3 days of notification. 43

Generating Cage Cards Barcodes labels I. In each animal room, these labels are kept

Generating Cage Cards Barcodes labels I. In each animal room, these labels are kept in folders labeled with the PIs name and Animal Study Protocol (ASP) number. II. There are 2 sections of labels—one for adults and one for weanlings. Please ensure you are using the correct labels. III. Within each section of labels are 2 sets of labels—one cage card label and one activation label. IV. The cage card label should be applied to the upper left hand corner of the blank cage card and placed into the cage card holder hanging from the new cage. V. The corresponding activation label should be filled out in full and left in the folder. 1. 2. 3. Activation Date (date the label was first used) Number of animals Sex of the animal(s) (females (F/♀) and/or males (M/♂) On left: cage card label On right: activation label (In this photo, these labels are for adults) 44

Done with a cage? • Deactivation/Cage Card request bin Ø Located in the main

Done with a cage? • Deactivation/Cage Card request bin Ø Located in the main entrance gowning area Ø If you finish with a cage, place the cage card in the bin to deactivate the bar codes. 45

Technical Service Requests • We have staff available to help you with weaning, tail

Technical Service Requests • We have staff available to help you with weaning, tail snips, animal ID (ear tags, ear punches, tattoos), injections etc… • We will make every effort to fulfill requests but on occasion due to our workload we may not be able to. • A Technical Service Request form can be found here: https: //ahcs. ninds. nih. gov/AHCS_pages/Tech%20 Request%20 files/Technical%20 Services%20 Request%20 Form. pdf • A Breeding Support Request form can be found here: https: //ahcs. ninds. nih. gov/AHCS_pages/Tech%20 Request%20 files/Breeding%20 Support%20 Request%20 Form. pdf • If you need a guillotine from your lab sharpened, you do not need to fill out a technical service request. You can coordinate this with our QA/QC Coordinator (TBD) and Brooke Davis. Ritchie. 46

And a Final Word about our Staff It is our pleasure to support you

And a Final Word about our Staff It is our pleasure to support you and your research. We will all make every effort to help you navigate the facility and get your questions and concerns addressed. You may ask any staff member for help at any time; however, different departments are more knowledgeable than others in their particular area. If you’d like to find a member of a particular team, then taking note of their pictures on the walls throughout the vivarium at the entrances an on the animal holding room doors. 47

Helpful Links • OACU Training Resources: https: //oacu. oir. nih. gov/training-resources • Procedure Room

Helpful Links • OACU Training Resources: https: //oacu. oir. nih. gov/training-resources • Procedure Room Reservation: https: //ncrs. ninds. nih. gov/ • Rodent Handling Workshop: http: //www. signupgenius. com/go/20 f 0 b 4 eacad 29 a 3 f 85 -basics • Tech Requests: https: //ahcs. ninds. nih. gov/AHCS_pages/vet. html • Aseptic Technique Training: https: //ahcs. ninds. nih. gov/ACUC_pages/train_aseptic. html 48

Completion of Building 35 Animal Facility Orientation Presentation • You have completed the first

Completion of Building 35 Animal Facility Orientation Presentation • You have completed the first part of the orientation. • Please complete the Porter Neuroscience Research Center Animal Facility. Building 35 form and return it to Dave Ciurzynski (david. ciurzynski@nih. gov), Carolyn Pelham (pelhamca@ninds. nih. gov) and Brooke Davis-Ritchie (davisb@ninds. nih. gov) prior to arriving for your scheduled tour. 49