Animal News
Volume 7, Number 1
May 15, 2001
News from the Institute for Animal Studies
Of Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Director:
Diane J. Gaertner, D.V.M.,Dip. ACLAM
Facility Manager:
Cora Kaiser, B.A., A.A.S. rLATG
Associate Director: Lawrence H. Herbst, D.V.M., Ph.D.,Dip. ACLAM
Senior Veterinary Technician: Girma Asfaw, D.V.M.
Clinical Veterinarian:
Margaret Batchelder, D.V.M.,Dip. ACLAM
Veterinary Technician:
Susan Siddons, A.A.
Veterinarian:
Erik D. Dohm, D.V.M., M.V.S.
Administrator:
Eileen Fillweber, B.A.
Comparative Pathologist: Robert Russell, B.V.S.C., Ph.D., D.D.A., Dip. ACVP
Animal Acquisitions Clerk:
Renee Williams
AIC Secretary:
Jeanette Camacho
Animal Facility Supervisor:
Mitch Balgobin
DIRECTOR=S COMMENTS
progressing close to schedule. The demolition phase is
complete and construction has begun. The old rack washer
We recently bid farewell to Mr. Frank Bella who has
has been replaced, but the new, faster rack washer is not
served AECOM as the Animal Facility Manager for the past 9
yet operational. During this phase of the renovation we have
years. Frank has taken a similar job an hour closer to his home
lost all of our storage areas for both clean and soiled animal
in New Jersey and we all know he will enjoy the extra time with
cages and several animal rooms are being used to partially
his family and the shorter commute.
alleviate our shortage of storage space. This has caused us
Ms. Cora Kaiser will join us on May 14 as the new
to have less animal space at a time when our census is
Animal Facility Manager. Cora will be a familiar face to many of
higher than it has ever been before. Unfortunately this has
you because she previously worked for the Institute for Animal
caused us to further compress and relocate many of your
Studies as a Senior Veterinary Technician, leaving for 4 years
animals during the interim. We are doing our best to fulfill
while she served as animal facility manager at St. Lukes
every investigator=s need for animal space. Please be as
Roosevelt Hospital Center, and then at Columbia University.
tolerant as you can of our cramped conditions. If you need
Once she joins us she will oversee physical plant functions for
more space and your animal room is full, speak to me and
the IAS, and will supervise the 26 Animal Caretakers with
we will do whatever we can.
assistance from Mr. Mitch Balgobin.
Please help us in
welcoming her back.
After the new rack washer has been thoroughly
tested we will lose the use of the Ullmann tunnel washer
while it is replaced with the same model we are using in the
ULLMANN RENOVATION PROGRESSES
Chanin building.
The new tunnel washer will be high
capacity and has integrated, downdraft bedding dumping, a
Renovations of the Ullmann Animal Unit are in full-
drying section, and a bedding dispenser. The renovations
swing. The two new barrier suites for Aclean@ rodents have
will also include a major upgrade of exhaust from the
been completed on the 11th floor and the first suite of 9 small
cagewash so that safer and comfortable working conditions
rooms and a common Aclean@ work space is fully operational.
are maintained for Animal Caretakers stationed in this area.
These suites are designed with an anteroom entrance to protect
Our animal procedure room, room 1010
animals in the interior spaces from any infectious agents which
Ullmann, has re-opened and now includes better
might be present in the common use corridor. Also the use of
lighting, better ventilation and an exhaust hood for
controlled traffic patterns and full barrier garb makes sure that
the safe use of gaseous anesthetics. Along with the
none of us inadvertently carry in infectious agents. The second
cagewash renovations, custom, extra-cool rooms for
barrier suite is expected to open for rodents approximately July
Xenopus frogs and rabbits have been created. This has
15th with the arrival of the next shipment of Biohazard hoods.
allowed us to expand the Xenopus housing to allow for
Renovation of the Ullmann Cagewash area is
additional frog tanks. In the rabbit room we plan to install a
custom fencing system to house long-term rabbits in a social
In the final phase of the Ullmann renovation all
group.
upgraded our vermin control within the animal facility by
windows will be eliminated from animal rooms by replacing
using a vendor specializing in research animal facility
them with opaque glass and insulating layers behind a solid
extermination (Bell Environmental). Although we
surface. Although we all enjoy the view, natural light introduces
previously had noticeable problems with feral mice and
unnecessary variation in housing conditions for laboratory
cockroaches, monthly testing now indicates that these
animals and may unexpectedly affect your experimental results.
vermin have been eliminated.
This will be the final phase of renovations supported by the NIH
renovation grant for the Ullmann Animal Unit.
We have
Unfortunately, this does not mean that we never
see new or unexpected agents infecting your animals.
benefitted from this grant not only by renovations, but also
We are doing our best, but we need your help.
through the purchase of movable caging equipment to furnish
Investigators and collaborators play a key role in helping
the renovated areas. Funds from the grant were matched 50%
keep their rodents as Aclean@ as possible. Here are
by funds from the AECOM Plant Fund.
several ways that you can help:
INVESTIGATOR TRAINING IS FREE AND FRIENDLY
!
Make sure that tumors, cell lines and other
biologicals for use in animals are always tested
Dr. Erik Dohm, who joined the IAS last March, continues to
prior to putting them into animals
conduct a popular and informative series of seminars aimed at
!
Never unnecessarily take animals to your lab
the topics most needed by investigators and their collaborators.
!
If you must house animals in your lab, keep them
Training of all persons who use animals is overseen by the
under Microisolator tops so that they cannot be
Animal Institute Committee, as directed by the NRC Guide for
the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
Training topics
exposed to loose rodents
!
If you receive ADo Not Unpack@ shipments from
include orientation to the use of experimental animals at
other institutions, always spray off the outside of
AECOM, how to write an animal protocol, training in rodent
the shipping container with disinfectant before
barrier procedures, training in rodent surgery procedures, and
unpacking the animals, then discard the box and
training in rodent handling, bleeding, anesthesia and
bedding in trash receptacles outside of the
euthanasia. Training in large animal surgery is available by
request. The rodent handling training includes a lecture plus a
animal facility
!
hands-on session which many students and post-docs find
helpful early in their research.
The schedule of training
Never bring in animals from other institutions
without prior approval
!
sessions is posted in each facility and on our internal website
Avoid rodent pets - some infectious agents last
up to 6 months in dust particles and can be
at:
carried in to work
http://www.aecom.yu.edu/home/MouseHouse/Training.htm
!
have new group members attend training
Interested persons may sign-up for sessions in Ullmann
1005 or by contacting Ms. Jeannette Camacho, X 3572,
jcamacho@aecom.yu.edu (Secretary to the Animal Institute
Committee). If you have additional needs for training, or if
REMINDERS (from previous issues):
* http://www.aecom.yu.edu/home/MouseHouse/
* Forms and info sheets - just inside 1005 Ullmann
you desire one-on-one training in a specific technique, you
* Dr. Diane Gaertner coordinates animal quarantine
should call Dr. Dohm at X 3723 to make an appointment.
* Dr. Erik Dohm coordinates shipments from AECOM
* Dr. Larry Herbst coordinates protocol review
ANIMAL HEALTH REPORT / AOUTBREAKS@
* Fax animal orders to X 8556
The health of the experimental animals housed at AECOM is
* Overcrowded mice must be separated within 6 days
generally excellent. By utilizing our knowledge of the basic
* Submit animal protocols 3 weeks in advance
biology and epidemiology of agents infectious to rodents, we
are making major progress Acleaning up@ endemic infections
in research animal colonies and helping more research
* Ketamine must be stored under double locks
* Two mouse dams should not whelp in the same cage
groups to use Aclean@ animals. This has admittedly been a
* Cage cards must indicate the last name of the PI
process which has involved some trial and error, but we are
* Animal orders must be placed by 12:00 noon Thursday
confident that we are now using highly effective quarantine,
* Get permission before moving your animals
re-derivation and quality assurance programs. We have also
* IAS and AIC office hours are 8:30 - 4:30 M-F
Your colleagues have asked me to repeat my survey of rodent genotypes being bred at AECOM. I will
publish the results in the next issue, so please respond to the survey below if you have breeding colonies you
are willing to list. Please send this information by E-mail to gaertner@aecom.yu.edu, mail or fax the form
below to Dr. Gaertner at X 8556
...................................................................................................................................................................................
Name of Principal Investigator _________________________________________________________________
Species of animal ___________________________________________________________________________
Name of mutation or genetic manipulation _______________________________________________________
Housing location of animals






Chanin Animal Barrier Facility (Chanin 6th floor)
Ullmann Plastic Film Isolator Facility (1105 Ullmann)
Ullmann Clean Barrier Suite (Room 1117)
Ullmann - other rooms
Kennedy Center Barrier Rooms (B 20 and B 24)
Kennedy Center - other rooms
Listed below are the breeding colonies you listed as being available at AECOM in February, 2000. This list is provided
as a resource for AECOM investigators, availability of animals is not guaranteed. All colonies are mice unless otherwise
noted. Please provide to me by e-mail any corrections to this list.
PI Name
Angeletti, R
Bregman, D
Brion, L
Burk,R
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Diamond, B
Gupta, S
Gupta, S
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Kucherlapati, R
Lisanti, M
Lisanti, M
Lisanti, M
Pollard, J
Pollard, J
Pollard, J
Pollard, J
Raine, C
Raine, C
Raine, C
Rogler, C
Skoultchi, A
Stanley, P
Stanley, P
Stanley, P
Stanley, P
Mutation, Transgene or Knock-out
KC receptor knock-out
CS-B
carbolic anhydrase II deficiency (mutation)
Location
U 1117 #
Chanin 6
KC
conventional*
HBV transgene - near albino locus
Ullmann
dominant negative CREB transgenic mice
Chanin 6
anti-DNA IgG heavy Chanin transgenic mice
Chanin 6
CD4 knock-out mice
Chanin 6
dominant negative fad transgenic mice
Chanin 6
dominant negative estrogen receptor - T cell promoter
Chanin 6
dominant negative estrogen receptor - B cell promoter
Chanin 6
dominant negative fas transgenic mice
Chanin 6
C(mu) knock out mice
Chanin 6
anti-DNA IgM heavy chain transgenic mice
Chanin 6
RAG knockout mice
Chanin 6
T15 heavy chain transgenic mice
Chanin 6
FVB/N-mdr2 knock-out mice
Ullmann conventional
LEC, LEA, (rats)
Ullmann
conventional
Msh 2 (k/o)
Chanin 6
MCh1 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Apc1638 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Msh6 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Msh 5 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Mcc (k/o)
Chanin 6
Smad2 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Arv (k/o)
Chanin 6
Ker 4 (k/o)
Chanin 6
Map1b (k/o)
Chanin 6
transgenic mice expressing Caveolin-2
Chanin 6
transgenic mice expressing Caveolin-1
Chanin 6
transgenic mice expressing Caveolin-3
Chanin 6
csfm P - csf-1 null, ostopetrotic
Chanin 6
p27 -/- cell cycle inhibitor null
Chanin 6
cyclin D1 -/- cell cycle regulator null
Chanin 6
MMTV - middle t - cancer susceptible
Chanin 6
GFAP knock-out
Ullmann
conventional
TNFR-1 knock-out
Ullmann
conventional
CCR-2 knock-out
Ullmann
conventional
Rag 2 k/o, human growth factor 2 transgene in liver, AlbUPA tg Ullmann
and Chanin 6
H1 histone genes and combinations in the DiGeorge region
Chanin 6
GlcNAc-TI knock-out
Chanin 6
GlcNAc-TIII disruption / knock-out
Chanin 6
GlcNAc-TIII deletion knock-out
Chanin 6
GlcNAc-tIII transgene under MUP promoter
Chanin 6
# all mice are Aclean@ and are housed under barrier conditions unless otherwise specified
* mouse colonies housed in conventional space are enzootically infected with coronaviruses (Mouse Hepatitis Virus) and
may also be infected with mouse parvoviruses or other murine viruses