Housing

We provide housing of rodents and rabbits, pigs and sheep.

Technical assistance

Our animal technicians are skilled in several procedures, for example injections, oral gavage, blood sampling and small surgical procedures. If you need techinical assistance during your research project, please contact head of facility to set up a meeting.

Large animal unit

Our large animal unit is a non-SPF unit approved for pigs, sheep and goats. Our large animals are housed in pens with access to rooting material, hay and heating lamps. We have a variety of instruments and equipment available for the researchers:

• Two surgery rooms with AISYS anesthesia machines
• Respirator
• Defibrillator
• Electrosurgical unit
• Ultrasound machine
• Blood gas analyzer
• Bronchoscope
• C-arm
• Centrifuges, scales, pipettes
• Infusion pumps
• Syringe pumps
• Safety cabinet class 1
• Surgical instruments
• Heating cabinet

Specific pathogen free (SPF) unit

In our SPF unit we house rats and mice of Specific-pathogen-free status, according to FELASAs recommendations. Our rodents are housed in IVC-cages, with access to bedding material, nesting material and enrichment objects. We have a variety of rooms and equipment available for the researchers:

• Several surgery and procedure rooms
• Isoflurane vaporisers in all surgery and procedure rooms
• Zeiss OMPI PROergo surgical microscope with camera and screen
• Recording room with ANY-maze behavioural tracking system
• Safety cabinet  class 1
• Safety cabinet class 2
• Ventilator
• DXA machine
• Recovery Rack
• Metabolic cages
• Kopf Stereotaxic frame with drill and syringe holder
• Small Animal Vital Signs Monitor - MouseOx
• Bipolar electrocautery equipment
• Heating pads for use during surgery
• Centrifuges and scales
• Surgical instruments
• Steri-Cycle CO2 incubator
• - 80º C lab freezer

Instruments that are available in the facility, but owned by other institutes:

• MicroCT - contact persons: tonje.nedal@ntnu.no, therese.standal@ntnu.no
• Vevo-LAZR-X Ultrasound machine -contact person: nathan.scrimgeour@ntnu.no
• Treadmills for rodents
• Multiphoton microscope - contact person: astrid.bjorkoy@ntnu.no
• CLAMS - Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System - contact person: duan.chen@ntnu.no
• Pearl Small Animal Optical Imager - contact person: therese.standal@ntnu.no
• IVIS Spectrum optical imaging system - contact person: trygve.andreassen@ntnu.no
• Incage running wheels to monitor activity level of mice

For more information, please contact the animal facility for advice.

Transgenic breeding unit

Our Transgenic Mouse breeding unit has a total capacity of 2500 cages. One procedure room is available for less complicated procedures, with additional equipment:

• Microscope
• Isoflurane vaporiser

Quarantine unit

In our quarantine unit we house rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits carrying pathogens/commensals not accepted in SPF units, and animals waiting to get tested according to FELASAs recommendations. We can offer a variety of instruments in the Quarantine unit:

• Two surgery rooms
• Isoflurane vaporisers
• Recovery rack
• Heating pads for use during surgery
• Safety cabinet class 1 and 2
• Surgical instruments
• Sentrifuge and scale

ANY-maze behavioural tracking system and equipment for open field behavioral testing is available in the unit. Contact the animal facility for more information.

I3 unit

• Unit for projects involving biological agents in containment level 3. This unit can only house mice.