Animal Resources Centre
Volume 1, Issue 1
May 2015
The Rodent Reporter
ARC First Quarter Update
Did you know?
 The ARC was built on the
current site in 1981 and has
undergone many
renovations and extensions
over the years.
 The ARC currently has 25
mouse and 11 rat strains in
production.
 We have 89 Customer-
owned mouse lines and 3
customer-owned rat lines
 The ARC currently has 67
employees.
ANIMAL
RESOURCES
CENTRE
PO Box 1180
Canning Vale
Perth, W.A. 6970
Phone:
+61 (8) 9332-5033
E-Mail:
info@arc.wa.gov.au
www.arc.wa.gov.au
The ARC received breeding
pairs of the in-demand
NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid
Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ
(more
affectionately known as,
NSG) mice late in 2014, and
they are currently undergoing
breeding to increase the
colony size for increased
availability
(currently
available in small numbers).
The NSG mice are useful for
research
in
islet
transplantation,
hematopoietic stem cells and
cancer stem cells.
The ARC is currently
conducting
feasibility
studies to determine the
possibility of housing the
outbred rat strain, Long
Evans. If we go ahead,
we expect availability to
begin in early 2016. Stay
in touch with us for further
updates.
Customer surveys are
due out in late May, so
keep an eye out for your
opportunity to let us know
what we excel at, what
can be improved or where
else we might be able to
assist you. We welcome
all feedback received.
The
ARC
has
now
discontinued the DBA/1J
mouse strain.
The ARC staff would love
to meet you and your
colleagues. Please let us
know if you have a
conference or meeting
that you think might
benefit
from
our
attendance and allow the
ARC
to
explain
our
services or assist with
your research.
Discussion has begun into
the possibility of gaining
AAALAC accreditation of
the ARC facility, watch
this space for updates.
The Benefits of sourcing SPF animals from a centralized
breeding facility
Have
you
considered
outsourcing
your
colony
maintenance, allowing you to
reallocate your time and save
valuable research space?
The
benefit
of
a
centralized
breeding
facility (such as the ARC)
for
the
purpose
of
medical/research
needs
has been long known. The
main
benefit
is
a
reduction
in
excess
animal production; it is
also cost effective and
allows
for
better
utilization of laboratory
space.
Whilst
AEC’s
strictly
scrutinize animals selected
for use in projects, there are
cases where only single sex,
certain ages or sporadic
usage is required. This can
mean there are a lot of
animals from a breeding
colony not utilized by that
same project.
By using a centralized
breeding facility, many varied
project requirements are
collated together meaning
that animal breeding can be
better managed to reduce
overproduction
(animals
that might not be utilised for
one project, would be for
another). At the ARC, we
always consider the 3R’s
and have the ability to utilize
excess animals.
Another
benefit
of
centralization
is
the
availability of other thirdparty services on site. We
are able to offer complete
services
including
importation/exportation,
quarantine, rederivation or
cryopreservation,
custom
maintenance,
cross
breeding, sample collection
and technical support.
The Rodent Reporter
page 2
Animal Resources Centre Newsletter
Importing rodents to Australia?
Ask Roger the rodent!
Q: Some of my C57Bl6/J mice are
barbering each other, what does
this mean?
A: Barbering is an abnormal repetitive
behavior that results in hair loss
commonly around the face. Most often
seen in a group housing situation
termed dominant barbering, it has also
been noted in sexual over-grooming,
maternal grooming and stress-evoked
barbering. Where identified (and
possible), the groomer should be
removed from the box (as observed by
a lack of over-grooming), if possible,
reducing the number of animals in the
cage can also help. Supplying
environmental enrichment such as
wood blocks, tubes or houses can help
distract mice from this behavior
however; caution is advised as some
forms of enrichment can create
territorial behaviour in some strains.
1.
Life of a Lab Mouse
Scenario #1 – “Luck of the draw….”
When you contact the ARC
regarding an interest into
importing animals, you will be
connected with our dedicated
Imports
Co-coordinator,
Andrew, who will then assist
you with the process.
Once we have a contact
name or supplier of the
required rodent strain(s),
Andrew will contact the
supplier
to
ascertain
availability
of
animals,
request health reports and
confirm if importation to the
ARC will be possible.
facility whilst they undergo
their period of Quarantine.
Andrew co-ordinates the
imported animals for entry
into Australia by ensuring
correct
documents
are
gathered,
permits
are
submitted and Australian
Quarantine are notified of the
pending import.
Once clearance has been
received
from
the
Department of Agriculture
(Quarantine), the animals are
available for despatch to the
customer or moved to the
ARC custom strain barrier for
ongoing maintenance.
On arrival, the imported
animals will arrive at the ARC
international
quarantine
For further information:
imports@arc.wa.gov.au
Did you know we can collect samples for you?
Does
your
research
require simple measured
data or samples to be
collected?
This service allows you to
utilise your precious time
elsewhere whilst we take
care of the ‘grunt’ work.
The ARC has experienced
Animal Technicians and
dedicated Laboratory staff
that are trained to collect
specific samples or data
on your behalf.
Samples
that
can
be
requested include but are not
limited to, Whole Blood,
Serum/Plasma,
Urine,
Muscle, and data collection
Get to know our rodents!
NSG
Mice
are
highly
immunocompromised
that
require
special
considerations for housing
and use.
If you are considering using
these mice, please contact
the ARC for an information
sheet and speak to our
experienced
staff
for
assistance in utilizing this
strain.
Get to know our staff!
Name: Rory
Length of time at ARC: 34
years (since the beginning!)
Initial position when hired:
Animal Technician
Current Position:
Training Officer
Senior
What do you enjoy most
working at the ARC?
I
have
really
enjoyed
watching the ARC grow and
evolve over time. Seeing the
buildings develop and the
staff learning and growing
from young adults into
parents themselves.
such as Weight, Blood
Pressure, and Blood Glucose
can also be provided.
If you would like to utilize
this service, or have
another request, please
contact us to discuss your
requirements and receive
a quote.
For further information:
orders@arc.wa.gov.au
newsletter is making it
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to articles
breeding
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short.chickens,
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